Trouble in Paradise
by phlawere
Summary: InuKag's wedding is coming up, but will their own troubles, some new ones, and a new player break them apart?
1. Problems

I'm gonna try to keep these chaps short, so I can write on this story if I'm tired or am having trouble with my others. Enjoy! Disclaimer: Inu is not mine. Sigh :(

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"Kagome! Where's my tie?! The one with the green and white stripes? I thought I left it sitting on the dresser the other day, but now it's not there," Inuyasha yells from the bedroom, before walking up the hall into the kitchen, where Kagome is making breakfast.

As the hanyou turns the corner, he stops abruptly, seeing his fiancee standing by the counter, slowly stirring her coffee. Her robe hangs loosely from her shoulders, her head down. Inuyasha can smell something salty in the air.

"Kagome? Are...what's...wrong?" he asks, knowing the answer already, as he comes up behind the girl, wrapping his arms around her.

Kagome sighs as tears slowly trickle down her cheeks. She leans back against the tall half-demon, closing her eyes as Inuyasha places his chin on the top of her head. "It's just...," she chokes a bit on her words.

"Kagome," Inuyasha says, his voice deepening. "If...if it's about last night...I'm sorry I was late to the counselor's appointment. Mr. Tagachi wouldn't let me leave 'til all the exhibits were locked up. And then I had to run by Hojo's to finalize the honeymoon plans..."

Inuyasha stops speaking as Kagome a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I know. Everything is...there's just so much going on. Both of us in school, working, planning the wedding. Gramps...," Kagome chokes again before forcing out her next words. "Gramps...in the hospital..." More tears stream down her cheeks. "And...and then...the...fight...we had...," Kagome says, sobbing, as her knees buckle beneath her.

His arms the only thing keeping Kagome from sliding to the floor, Inuyasha places one beneath the girl's knees--the other still around her shoulders--and lifts Kagome, carrying her into the living room and sitting down on the couch, placing the young woman in his lap. Inuyasha cradles her to his chest, running his hands through her hair, still messed from the restless night's sleep she had gotten.

"Kagome--I'm sorry for the things I...said...last night." Inuyasha puts one hand under her chin and lifts it so that he's looking into her glossy, chocolate-brown eyes. At the sight of her tears, the half-demon feels his chest constrict, a small pain stabbing him in the heart. _I can't bear to see her...like this..._

Grinding his teeth together to keep himself from crying, Inuyasha says "I...I didn't mean what I said. I was just angry. And...and frustrated. And stressed..." The hanyou brings both of his hands up to cup Kagome's cheeks. "I love you more than anything, Kagome. Please...forgive me...for last night," Inuyasha utters, his voice rough with emotion

Kagome stares into the half-demon's deep amber eyes for a moment before replying. "I'm sorry, too...for what I said... I...I didn't mean any...any of it," she whispers. Grabbing the front of Inuyasha's dress shirt, Kagome pulls him towards her and kisses him lightly. "Forgive me, Inuyasha?" she says, more tears spilling down her cheeks and onto his hands.

Inuyasha nods and wraps his arms around his fiancee, pulling her into a tight hug.

Kagome squeezes him back, closing her eyes, her cheek pressed against his chest. They stay that way until Kagome hears a soft click and opens her eyes. They focus on the small clock sitting on the end-table beside the couch. She gasps, hopping out of Inuyasha's arms and running into the kitchen. "You're late! It's already 7:30, Inuyasha!" she yells while rummaging around, cabinet doors slamming behind her.

_Damn! _Inuyasha jumps up off the couch and bounds back into the bedroom to finish getting ready for work. "Where's my..."

"It should be in the laundry room--on top of the pile of clean stuff," Kagome says, walking back into the living room to look for his necklace. Inuyasha comes back up the hallway, his tie swinging from one wrist, while he fastens his watch on the other.

"Can you...," he asks, turning pleading eyes to the girl holding purple beads in one hand and using the other to stuff some kind of warm pasty thing in his mouth. "Mmmm..."

Kagome laughs, taking the tie off his wrist and looping it and the beads over his head. Almost instantly, Inuyasha's hair changes from silver to black, his fuzzy ears disappearing from the top of his head to show up as a normal human's, his claws and fangs vanishing. Kagome walks around behind the now--seemingly normal--half-demon, to pull his long hair from underneath the tie and necklace. "Thank Kaede--bless her soul--that she taught me how to cast spells," Kagome mumbles as she walks back around to face Inuyasha, who is finishing the last of his breakfast.

"Yes," he says, swallowing. "This is much easier than having to explain to everyone about demons all the time."

Kagome finishes with his tie and walks back into the kitchen as Inuyasha puts on his shoes and grabs his backpack. _I still hate these things... _Inuyasha thinks with disgust. _Stupid loafers!_

Kagome comes back out with a brown paper bag and a thermos, handing both to the hanyou before kissing him again and opening the door to the apartment. "Tell everybody I said "hi," and let Sango know I'll still be by to see her tomorrow, okay?"

Inuyasha nods as he runs out the door, heading for the stairwell.

"And don't spend too long talking to Miroku! Dinner's at 6:30!" Kagome yells, seeing his arm wave as Inuyasha passes through the door at the end of the hall.

Kagome stands in the hallway for a moment, watching the door her fiancee just ran through until it closes. Slowly she closes their own, leaning her back against it before sliding down it to the floor. The young miko brings her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, sobbing quietly.

_I can't do this...to him...I can't...even..though..._ Kagome stands up, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her robe. She goes back into the kitchen and takes a sip of her coffee. She sighs.

"So, I have to meet with the caterer at 10, then with the priest for lunch, then go to work for a little bit this afternoon...," Kagome's shudders a little, as she thinks about the other meeting she has this afternoon. _He's...just a friend..._

But this encounter has nothing to do with the wedding.

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What'd ya'll think? Keep going?


	2. New Player

Here's chap 2! A little more plot for everybody. **Note**: This is **not** a crossover w/ Bleach!!!! I saw, like, 10 min of one episode and decided I liked Ichigo, so I am using his **name** and **looks** only! **ONLY**! I don't know his behavior, attitudes, abilities, etc., so don't yell at me that that's not the way he does things! I know! Ok-I'm fine now. No more ranting. Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach, but this plot is mine. Ha. Gotta go get obsessed w/Bleach now, cause I made the mistake of watching an episode...

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Kagome sits in a booth at a small cafe, sipping some hot tea after just getting off her shift. _5:30...I should have time to go visit Gramps before dinner..._ She sighs, staring out the window, watching people shopping and cars driving up the street. _He_ _should be here in a few minutes..._

"Is this seat taken?" a deep voice asks.

Kagome turns around and gazes up into dark eyes, a small smile gracing her lips as she looks above the handsome face to see bright orange hair. The man scowls and sits across from her.

"At least it never fails to bring a smile to your face, Kagome," Ichigo says, running a hand through his hair.

Kagome looks down at her cup, swirling the liquid around the edges. "We had another fight last night, Ichigo," she says, looking back up at him, her eyes glassy. He opens his mouth to respond, but Kagome continues speaking. "We...we said some things...we shouldn't have. Inuyasha and I apologized before he left this morning, but..." she trails off, staring out the window at a couple walking down the other side of the street, holding hands.

Ichigo follows her gaze, the two of them staring at the couple until they walk around the corner. "You still love him?" he asks.

Kagome slowly turns her head to his face, studying his expression. After a moment, she nods, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She sits back against the seat, burying her face in her hands.

Ichigo stands and walks to her side of the booth, sitting down and hugging the girl. Kagome grabs onto his shirt and sobs into his chest, her cries making several customers glance toward them. The red-head runs his hand through her hair, whispering softly in her ear.

"Sshhhhh, Kagome. Everything will be alright. You guys are just going through some...rough times. You said you've been through stuff like this before--right?" he asks.

Kagome pushes herself away from him, wiping her eyes. "Yeah, something like this...," she says vaguely, remembering all her adventures in the Feudal Era. "But this is different. I...I was always able to see the good side of things. Now...now I...I'm hardly ever happy. I feel like I'm drowning...and where before I had Inuyasha to..._help_ me, it's like he's not even there anymore," she says, looking back out the window at a woman pushing a set of twins toward the cafe. Kagome closes her eyes as they come closer, unable to bear the sight of them any longer.

"Kagome, does Inuyasha even know you feel this way?" Ichigo asks, taking one of her hands in his.

Kagome looks down at their hands briefly before lifting her eyes to his face. "No," she says quietly, slowly withdrawing her hand from his. Ichigo looks slightly hurt, but doesn't say anything. "He's gotten a lot better about talking about his feelings, but...I just don't think I can talk to him...," she murmurs, taking another sip of her tea. It's cold.

"So he's gonna be completely blind-sided if you decide to leave?" he asks, staring at Kagome intently.

Kagome's heart skips a beat at the thought of leaving Inuyasha. She can't deny that the fact that the idea had crossed her mind, but she had always been appalled by it. Ever since the day she discovered she was in love with the half-demon, Kagome had been by his side. She couldn't imagine her life without him. They had survived so much together--Kikyo's death, the defeat of Naraku, the completion of the Shikon no Tama, saving Kohaku's life--was she really going to ignore all they'd been through, giving up on the life she'd--_they'd--_wanted for so long, just when it was within their grasp?

But Kagome had never felt this way before. All the times Inuyasha had run away to Kikyo, every fight they'd ever had while hunting for the jewel shards--she had always been the..._hope_...of the group. She'd brought everyone together--eventually resulting in strong friendships between them all; she had a small part in Sango and Miroku's relationship; _...Hell_, she thinks. _I even played a role in getting Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to act more like brothers..._ _but... _Kagome's face falls as she tries not to cry again, focusing on the patterned tablecloth to keep the tears at bay.

"I...just feel..._lost_, Ichigo, and..._alone..._" She looks up at him. "For the first time in my life, I don't know... what to do...," Kagome whispers, so low that Ichigo has to lean toward her to catch the last words.

He looks in her eyes, wondering how the overwhelming sadness showing in them could ever have gotten to this beautiful girl. Without realizing what he's doing, Ichigo leans in and gently brushes his lips against hers, feeling the softness of them.

Kagome's eyes widen as she instantly breaks contact with him, sliding back against the window, fear and shock replacing the sadness. Her breathing has quickened and she clutches her apron tightly to keep her hands from shaking. "Ichigo...wh...what are you doing?"

The redhead runs his hands through his hair, his cheeks now bearing the same color. "I'm sorry...Kagome. I...it just sort of happened..., " he says weakly, retreating to the other side of the booth. Kagome doesn't move. Ichigo looks at her, confusion in his dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to...I know you wouldn't...,"

"That's right, Ichigo--I wouldn't," Kagome interrupts, snapping out of her astonishment. "I would never do that to Inuyasha," she says firmly, a hint of anger in her voice. Ichigo's sure he imagined it, but he thought he saw a flash of blue in the girl's eyes. He nods, leaving his eyes downcast.

"Let's just pretend that didn't happen--okay?" she asks, startling Ichigo into looking at her again. "Still friends? And only friends?" she adds quickly. He nods vaguely, amazed at the woman sitting before him. Kagome offers him a small smile. "Good--I could use friends right now," she says, glancing at her watch. "I need to go--I wanted to see Gramps before dinner. You are still coming--right? I wanted you to meet Inuyasha," Kagome says as she grabs her purse and slides out of the booth. Ichigo is still in a daze at what just happened. "Ichigo? Hello?"

"Huh? What? Oh--yeah, 6:30, Higurashi shrine--right?" he responds, standing up next to her.

Kagome nods. He looks at her seriously. "Talk to him, Kagome. That's the only way it'll get better," he says, pulling her into a hug.

Kagome freezes for a second before she relaxes and hugs him back. "I know. I'll talk to him tonight after dinner," she utters, pulling away from him.

"I really am sorry, Kagome," Ichigo says. "It won't happen again," he assures her.

Kagome stares at him a moment. "I know," she whispers, turning toward the door. "I'll see you in about an hour--okay?" the young woman asks as she stops to check on her schedule. Ichigo nods again as he walks past her and out the door of the cafe, heading down the street.

Kagome sighs, waves goodbye to a couple of her friends, and walks out the door, turning the opposite direction as Ichigo to head to the hospital. Feeling as thought she's being watched, Kagome glances up at one of the buildings, just glimpsing a flash of silver before it disappears over the the rooftop. Kagome stares, disbelief making her heart race. _Oh...no..._

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Ichigo walks up the street, shuffling his feet, his eyes on the sidewalk. _How could I have been so stupid!_ he thinks, punching the wall of a random building. He immediately regrets it. As Ichigo stands there, shaking his throbbing hand, a figure walks up to him, his face obscured by a baseball cap.

"Ichigo...," he says, his voice raspy. The redhead glances up, backing away a few feet. "Does she trust you?" he asks, raising something in the pocket of his jacket at the young man.

Ichigo's eyes widen. "Ye...yes. Kagome trusts me," he says, fighting to hide the fear and anger in his voice.

"Good...and you will meet..._him_...tonight?" the strange man asks, a soft breeze blowing his long blonde hair around his head.

Ichigo nods, not trusting his voice anymore. He can see the corner of the man's lips rise in a smile. "Excellent. I will see you tomorrow then," he says, walking past Ichigo and on up the street.

Ichigo stares after the man for a moment, before sighing and continuing to his destination, still rubbing his sore hand. _I'm sorry, Kagome. I...don't have a choice!_

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How was that? Everybody like the story so far? 


	3. The Fight

Here is chap 3 guys. I didn't realize I already had most of it written until I went back to edit. Whoops. Anyways, the next chap will be a bit longer, cause there's gonna be an awesomely cool battle scene. (I hope. It looks cool in my head.) Disclaimer: I don't own the Inu gang. _Dozo_! (Enjoy!)

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"Hey, Gramps. How are you today?" Kagome asks, fluffing her grandfather's pillow. He doesn't respond. Kagome sits down in the chair next to him, crossing her arms on the edge of the bed and laying her head on them.

"I wish you were here...so much is going on...," she whispers, tears starting to form in her eyes. She cries quietly for a few minutes, gazing out the window that overlooks the bay. "At least you have a nice view."

The miko sighs. "Inuyasha and I had another fight last night. I said...I said that I wished I'd never pulled that arrow out of his chest!" she sobs, burying her head in the covers of the bed. The miko cries for a long time, unaware of the presence watching her from the hallway. Seeing all that he's needed, the man turns and exits the long-term ward, taking the stairs.

Kagome finally lifts her head up, gazing at her ojiisan's face. "I...I didn't mean it, Gramps. I was just angry. Inuyasha asked how school was going, and I'd had a bad day and...and snapped at him. I said I would be doing better if I hadn't gotten so behind and confused during those months I spent in the Feudal Era. He got all...well, you know Inuyasha. He said that I could have spent more time studying, and I shouted back that how could I when he kept dragging me back all the time and never letting me go take my tests? Then he said, "Well, excuse me for wanting to find the jewel shards," and I said, "Well, I'm sorry that I broke the Jewel trying to get it away from that crow.""

Kagome sighs, taking a deep breath before she speaks again. "Then, Inuyasha gets angry and says, "Well, that wasn't the smartest thing you've done," and I overreacted and asked, "So, what? You think I'm stupid now? You think Kikyo would have been able to get it back without breaking it--don't you?" And I'm crying by now, and Inuyasha is trying not to lose his temper again, and I say, "I wished I'd never gone through the well," and Inuyasha says, "Maybe it would've been better if you hadn't," and I scream at him, because I never would have met him if Mistress Centipede hadn't dragged me into it. So I say, "What?! You wish I'd never met you? And Sango? And Miroku, and Shippo, and Kilala, and all our other friends? You'd still be sealed to the damn tree if I hadn't pulled the arrow out of you!" and Inuyasha doesn't say anything, which makes me madder, because I think maybe he really does wish that I'd never gone to his time, so I say, "Fine! My life would've been just great if I'd just turned around jumped back into the well! Because then I wouldn't have seen you pinned to that tree and thought you were the cutest boy I'd ever seen--even with those strange ears. And that demon wouldn't have chased me and trapped me against you and I wouldn't have had to free you from Kikyo's spell!"

Kagome takes another breath, trying to calm herself while reliving the fight. She feels better though, being able to talk to someone about it--even if they can't talk back. "So, Inuyasha still hasn't said anything, so I say, "What? Don't you have anything to say?" and all he says is, "Maybe you're right--maybe you should have left me pinned to the tree," in a quiet voice. And I lose it then, because I love him so much and he wishes we'd never met, so I scream at him so loud that our neighbors come knock on our door, but we ignore them. And I say, "Fine! I wish I'd never pulled that arrow out of your chest! I wish I'd just let you go to hell with Kikyo! I wished you'd killed me the first time we met because it wouldn't have hurt as much as right now!" And Inuyasha stares at me as I say the last line, because I'm crying and he...he looked scared, Gramps."

Kagome looks up at her ojiisan, tears streaming down her face. "He was really...just afraid. Like he's imagined what would've happened to his life if he'd killed me that day. So then he crosses the room and wraps me in his arms and says, "Don't ever say that, Kagome. Not ever." And then he kisses my forehead and runs out the door, and I didn't see him again until this morning when I heard him step out of the shower."

Kagome sighs--a long, exhaustive breath to get her bearings. "I...we've gotta talk about last night. We can't keep doing this. I think it's mainly just...stress, but we keep avoiding the conversation, which is only making things worse." The miko looks at her watch, then stands and leans over her grandfather, kissing his brow lightly. "I'm gonna talk to him after dinner. Hopefully then we can get back to...normal. If things _were_ ever normal between us."

Kagome glances one last time at her ojiisan, picking up her bag and heading out the door.

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Inuyasha runs up the steps to the Higurashi Shrine, seeing his soon-to-be mother-in-law weeding in front of the house. He walks up behind her, bending over and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, mom," he says, his voice strained.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Are you ready for dinner tonight?" Siore asks, standing up next to the hanyou. She frowns when she sees his expression. "What's wrong?"

Inuyasha starts at her question, having been lost in his own thoughts. "Huh? Oh--uh-- nothing," he mumbles, walking up the porch steps and setting his backpack inside the front door. "I just have a lot on my mind," he says vaguely, coming back down to her level. Siore gives him a look that says she knows he's lying. Ignoring her gaze, Inuyasha walks past her and heads for the well. "I'll be back in about an hour--right?"

Siore puts her hands on her hips--reminding Inuyasha so much of her daughter that he smiles--before saying, "Yes. 6:30. Sharp!" she yells as the hanyou waves and opens the doors to the well-house.

Inuyasha takes off his shoes and socks, tossing them inside the door before jumping into the well...

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Miroku is leaning against a tree, mumbling to himself when he sees a pale blue light from the inside of the Bone-Eater's Well. _Finally..._ Standing up, the monk heads for the well, whistling and tossing a small object in the air.

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How's that? Everybody still interested? Remember...battle scene next! Yay! 


	4. Figuring it Out

Well, here is chap 4 guys. Sorry it's taken so long--this week's been all confusing. Anyways, hope you like it. I struggled with what to put in here, but I think I finally got it the way I wanted. Dozo! Disclaimer: My name is not Rumiko Takahashi, so I don't own Inuyasha.

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"Well, took you long enough, Inuyasha," Miroku says, as the currently-human hanyou climbs out of the Bone-Eater's Well.

Inuyasha stretches and inhales deeply, deliberately avoiding looking at the monk. He lifts the magical beads from around his neck, placing them in the pocket of his pants. Miroku doesn't react--he's seen the transformation before. "I was... busy, Miroku. How is everyone?" he asks, trying to change the subject

"They're fine," Miroku replies, watching his friend intently. He frowns as Inuyasha still refuses to look at him. "What's wrong? And don't tell me it's nothing--I know you too well by now to be fooled by that line," the monk says, grabbing the half-demon's arm as he tries to walk past and turning Inuyasha around to face him. The despair in the hanyou' eyes catches him off-guard. Miroku drops his staff and the small box he had been carrying and grabs Inuyasha's other arm, forcing him to look directly into the hoshin's eyes. "Are you okay!? How's Kagome? Did something happen? Wh...," Miroku stops as the half-demon breaks the monk's hold on him and turns away, glancing down briefly at the small village on the horizon.

Inuyasha takes a few steps away from his friend, his head down. He kicks at some small rocks, the feel of grass on his bare feet oddly comforting. Sighing, the half-demon speaks, still not facing his friend. "I...I think Kagome's two-timing me, Miroku," he whispers, his shoulders hunched. The monk hears a few sniffles from Inuyasha, and sees him wipe the sleeve of his shirt across his face.

Miroku's first reaction is to laugh. _Kagome? OUR Kagome?! That's not even poss... _But as the monk watches his friend's dejected demeanor, it's obvious that something's happened to make Inuyasha suspect his fiancé of cheating. Reaching down to pick up his staff and the box, Miroku approaches the hanyou and stands beside him, silently holding out his hand--the box sitting on his palm. He waits to speak until Inuyasha takes it from him and opens it--a small intake of breath escaping his lips as he looks at the object inside. "Why do you think Kagome has been seeing someone else, Inuyasha?" the hoshin asks quietly.

The hanyou is silent for a moment, still staring at the object in his hand. He slowly closes the box and puts it in his pocket, then sits down with his legs crossed, his head in his hands. "I...I saw her with another guy. A guy that...he _kissed_ her, Miroku. _Kissed_ her. My... Kagome...," Inuyasha says, grinding his teeth to keep the tears away.

Miroku is glad Inuyasha isn't looking at him, because the monk's mouth dropped open the second he heard the word "kissed." Quickly closing it again--lest the half-demon look up-- Miroku sits down next to Inuyasha, laying his staff on the ground by his side. He doesn't speak for a few moments, choosing his words carefully so that he doesn't get the wrong reaction from Inuyasha. "Tell me _exactly_ what you saw, Inuyasha. Leave nothing out."

The half-demon lifts his head and gazes down at the village, his hands curled into fists. Inuyasha's eyes lose focus as he speaks--staring at nothing. "I...I got finished at work early...thought I'd swing by the cafe to see Kagome for a few minutes before I came here." A low growl escapes his throat as the hanyou turns to his friend. "We...had another fight last night, Miroku. It...it was bad...," he says, looking away again. "I...left the apartment and didn't return until this morning. But...I thought we had made up...," Inuyasha says, his voice breaking. I...guess not...," the half-demon growls, closing his eyes tightly.

Miroku stares at his friend, fighting the urge to comfort him. _Just the facts...after everything ... I just can't believe that Kagome would..._ "What happened, Inuyasha? You went to the cafe..."

Keeping his eyes closed, the half-demon continues. "I...thought it would be faster if I took...the high road...," he says, knowing Miroku would know what he meant. Kagome and Inuyasha had explained what her world looked like long ago. "Since it was a nice day, I took off the necklace. I was gonna put it back on before I jumped down to street level. But...when I got to the cafe...Kagome had already gotten off her shift...," Inuyasha opens his eyes and stares at the monk. Miroku's breath catches in his throat as he sees anguish in the amber eyes looking into his own. "...and was sitting with..._some guy_," the hanyou says, grinding out the last two words. He looks back down at his hands, unclenching them to see tiny crescents of blood on his palms. Inuyasha didn't even feel his claws pierce his skin.

Miroku waits--silently--until the hanyou is ready to continue. This was the moment Inuyasha had been dreading for 5 years--ever since Naraku had been defeated and he and Kagome had finally--_finally_--told each other how they felt. It only dawned on the hanyou then --how badly he had treated the girl. Always running after Kikyo; never considering her feelings; chasing off any guys that seemed even remotely interested in the miko; taking Kagome's presence with them for granted. Kagome had stayed by his side every single time she should have left--and Inuyasha had never even _once_ thanked her for it. The hanyou finally realized how dense--and lucky--he was. Miroku knew that the half-demon had made amends once he figured out what a jerk he had been--even after Kagome had told Inuyasha it wasn't an issue. But the hanyou was still worried that Kagome might one day repay him for all those times he ran to Kikyo. The half-demon had told the monk that he honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Kagome did the same thing he had--Inuyasha would have had it coming.

But Miroku highly doubted that Kagome would do such a thing to Inuyasha. She loved him far too much--and knew firsthand the pain he would be in if she ever cheated on him. She would never put him through that, and besides, it simply wasn't in her nature--the girl was far too virtuous for her own good, in Miroku's opinion. The hoshin knew all this, and yet...Inuyasha was sitting there, telling him that what he had feared for 5 years was actually happening. That was why the monk wanted all the facts--the possibility of what Inuyasha was telling him was so unlikely that Miroku wanted to be absolutely positive of what the he had seen. Inuyasha and Kagome's happiness depended on it.

Inuyasha stares at his hands--watching the blood well up from the cuts on his palms. He's only vaguely aware of a tickling sensation on his cheek, just before a single tear drops onto his wrist and slides down to join one of the marks. _Please...tell me this isn't happening..._ Inuyasha takes a deep breath, closing his fists again before speaking. _Maybe...Miroku can see something I can't..._ "I...stayed on the rooftop...watching. The guy...he was sitting next to her...they were talking. And then...she looked at him...and...and he leaned in...," Inuyasha stops, his voice catching in his throat. The hanyou can't bring himself to say the words again. "I...looked away, Miroku. The second it happened. I turned toward the sun--willing it to burn that image from my eyes." Inuyasha looks up, staring blankly at the sun now setting in front of them. "When I turned back, _he _was on the other side of the table, and they were talking again. After a minute, Kagome gets up...the guy right after her. They hug," Inuyasha says, his voice flat. "They turn to leave. I couldn't see them because they moved past the window, but the guy walks out the door and turns left. Kagome comes out a few seconds later and heads right. She stops walking after a few feet and looks around, then starts to look up. I know she can feel me there, so I turn and run to the shrine. That's all," the hanyou finishes quietly. Inuyasha's normally vibrant eyes are dead--the spark gone from the golden depths. His hands are lying open on his knees, the cuts made by his nails deeper now. Small pools of blood are collecting in his palms.

Miroku remains quiet for a few moments, watching the hanyou's hands. When it's clear that Inuyasha isn't going to do anything about them, the monk pulls out a small cloth and silently places it in one of the half-demon's hands, pressing down to soak up the blood. Inuyasha looks down, slowly picking up his other hand and placing it palm-down on top of the first. Miroku speaks. "Was there anything else, Inuyasha? Her expression? His? Anything out of the ordinary?" he asks, accutely aware of how strange that question sounds. The monk somehow manages to keep the pleading tone out of his voice.

Inuyasha hesitates a moment--thinking--then frowns. "Kagome...she...her eyes sparked. After...he went to the other side of the table. That blue color...like when she's using her powers...or..._angry_...," the hanyou says, his mouth twitching.

Miroku watches his friend's face, sensing the sudden shift in the half-demon's mood. "Angry?" he asks, arching one brow.

Inuyasha turns to face the monk, a hint of a grin on his face. "Yes. When she's angry, Kagome's eyes will often glow--just like when she's fighting. She can usually suppress it--unless she's extremely upset," the hanyou says, a wider grin crossing his features.

Miroku releases the breath he had been holding. The hoshin is pretty sure he knows where Inuyasha's thoughts are headed, but he wants to make sure. Plus, well, he _is_ still a lecherous monk. "Upset? Are you sure it wasn't because she was _happy_, Inuyasha?" he asks, staring innocently at the half-demon.

Inuyasha glares at the hoshin, a deep growl echoing from his throat before it stops abruptly and he speaks, amusement flashing across his eyes. "No, I'm sure. The blue is..._deeper_... when she's happy, Miroku," he says, standing up and smirking as the monk's mouth drops open. Inuyasha sighs, stuffing the bloodied cloth into a pocket. "I'll bring this back later," he says as the hoshin stands next to him, his staff in his hand. The hanyou looks at his palms--the cuts are already starting to heal. "She was angry. I'm sure of it...now. Why didn't I see it before?" he asks, turning to look at the monk.

Miroku puts one hand on the half-demon's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Honestly--it didn't sound good, my friend." Inuyasha frowns. "But it seemed like they had been talking for awhile, and you did turn away, so you didn't see Kagome's reaction to his...um...the guy leaned in?" Miroku asks, removing his arm and heading for the village. Inuyasha nods and follows the monk down the hill. "So...he initiated it? And you know Kagome's too nice for her own good. She probably didn't want to hurt his feelings."

"If it was me...," Inuyasha starts to say, stopping abruptly, a strained expression on his face. Miroku stops walking and turns back to the hanyou, who is staring at his hands again. "Every...time? Everytime I ran to Kikyo--she felt...like this?" Inuyasha asks, looking up at the monk. Miroku slowly nods his head. The hanyou looks away before slowly walking forward again. Miroku falls in step beside him, expecting Inuyasha to keep talking. When he doesn't, Miroku says, "You know she would never do this to you--don't you, Inuyasha? You seem to think Kagome will eventually betray you or some such nonsense." The half-demon doesn't respond, only stares at the ground as he walks. The monk grabs his arm, forcing the hanyou to stop. Inuyasha looks up, sadness flickering in his eyes. Miroku sighs. "You have to let this go, Inuyasha. Kagome won't cheat on you. Ever. I hate to say it, but she'd leave you completely before that happens."

The hanyou scowls at him and jerks his arm away, stomping down the hill. Miroku hurries to catch up, grabbing his arm again. Inuyasha growls low in his throat, but allows the monk to stop him. He turns to face the hoshin, glaring at the dark-haired priest. "Get to the point, Miroku," he says, his patience wearing thin.

"You and your short temper," the monk says, releasing Inuyasha's arm and rolling his eyes. "You'd think you'd have learned to listen by now," Miroku sighs, continuing to walk again. The half-demon watches him move away for a few seconds before following, still glaring at the monk. "My point is that Kagome would make a..._clean_...break with you before she'd go to someone else. She wouldn't betray you--you know this. And you know she won't leave you. She's stayed by your side when everyone else--including you--told her to leave. You also know her better than anyone, Inuyasha. If nothing else, her own conscience won't allow Kagome to do such a thing. Why can't you let this insane idea go?"

Inuyasha stares at the monk, his face impassive. After a minute he sighs and stares at the ground, watching as the grass part beneath his feet. Miroku groans inwardly. _And that conversation is over...no wonder he and Kagome are fighting..._ "What was that fight about, anyway?" the monk asks, suddenly remembering what the hanyou had said earlier. "You said it was bad."

The half-demon stops walking, sticking his hands in his pants' pockets. Miroku stops and turns to look at him. "Just...the same stuff...," Inuyasha says vaguely, looking up into the twilight sky, watching a flock of birds fly overhead. He hopes Miroku won't press him for more information.

The monk frowns, knowing Inuyasha is intentionally avoiding the question. He glares at his friend until the half-demon looks at him. "Have you talked to her, Inuyasha?" The hanyou sighs, running one hand through his silver hair as he shakes his head. Miroku groans. "Why haven't you talked to Kagome?" the hoshin asks, his grip tightening on his staff.

Inuyasha refuses to look at the monk, his cheeks coloring as he stares at his feet. "It...just...,"

Miroku interrupts, tired of the half-demon's excuses. "You and Kagome need to sit down and have a long talk," he says, putting up one hand as the hanyou looks up and tries to speak. "I know you both have things going on, but this relationship isn't going to last if you two aren't communicating--even if you love each other."

Inuyasha stands there, brushing his toes against the grass, sombered by the monk's words. "I'll talk to her," he says, looking up at his friend. "After din..," the half-demon's eyes widen as he twists his watch around to see the time. "Damn! I gotta go, Miroku! Thanks for the talk! And the favor! And tell Sango we'll see her tomorrow!" the hanyou yells, sprinting back to the well.

Miroku sighs, shaking his head as he heads to the village. _Those two..._ At the bottom of the hill, a high-pitched voice catches his attention. The monk looks up, smiling and waving at the girl running towards him.

Pigtails flying behind her, the girl jumps into Miroku's arms, squealing with delight as he spins around in a circle. "Where've you been, daddy?" she asks, looking up at him with deep brown eyes.

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Kagome moans as she drags herself into her mother's house, setting her purse on the floor beside Inuyasha's bag. "Inuyasha?" she yells, listening for any sign of her fiance.

Siore comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "He's not back yet," she says, frowning at her daughter. "What's wrong? Inuyasha was wearing the same expression when I saw him earlier."

Kagome sighs, turning back to the front door. "We're just...having a _misunderstanding_..." Kagome says, stepping back outside. "I'm gonna wait for him in the well-house. I need to talk to Inuyasha before dinner," she says, closing the door behind her.

Siore stares out the glass in the door, watching as Kagome walks to the small building. She sighs before heading back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

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Kagome sits on the wooden steps inside the well-house, barely aware of the descending darkness around her. She's close to tears--her anxiety building as she waits for the half-demon. Just when the miko has decided to go after Inuyasha, a blue glow lights up the inside of the well, and a slight shuffling can be heard as the hanyou climbs out. He starts as he sees Kagome waiting on him, dropping his necklace and the small box in his hands on the floor.

"Hello, Inuyasha. We need to talk," Kagome says wearily, bending down to pick up the beads and holding them out to the half-demon. She grabs the box in her other hand and turns it over a few times, frowning before holding it out to him.

Inuyasha stares at her a moment before nodding, taking the hand with the beads and holding it in his own. "You can keep that," he says, tilting his head toward the box. Kagome looks at it, then up at him, curiosity in her dark eyes. "It's your engagement ring," the half-demon whispers.

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Ok? I'll try to be faster on the next chap. Everyone ready for an interesting dinner? I'm pretty sure I've got a couple of things planned that nobody will see coming. :P 


	5. The Ring

Ok--first I want to apologize for taking so long to update. Last week was kinda...bad, then I got distracted by Harry P., then I got stuck on another story that didn't want to flow... Anyways, I'm sorry I've taken so long, and also that I said there would be a battle scene, but haven't given you one yet. There _will_ be one, but I think it's gonna be two chaps from now...let's see, hrmmm, yeah--that sounds about right. When Inu and Kag go to visit Sango. So, whenever I get to that point... Oh--I said before that this wasn't a Bleach crossover and it **isn't**...supposed to be, but...we'll see. I'm reading the manga and getting totally sucked into it. So...whatever. Hrmmm... I think that's all. Disclaimer: Inu no mine. :(

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"My...my engagement ring?" Kagome repeats, completely dumbfounded. Since Inuyasha isn't from her world, the girl had told him they didn't need to exchange rings when they took their vows. She hadn't see this coming. "You...didn't have to get me one... Inuyasha," she whispers, her voice catching in her throat as she looks up at him, her eyes glassy. The hanyou smiles shyly at her, his cheeks gaining a slightly pinkish tint. 

"Yeah I did," he says, explaining when the girl raises her brow in surprise. "I talked to Sota. He said that the rings symbolize the promise we're making to one another. I love you and want people to know it," he whispers, lifting her hand and kissing the back. Kagome smiles shyly and looks into his eyes, her cheeks reddening as he stares at her. "A...n...d, so other guys will leave you alone," he says, narrowing his eyes at the girl as he lets their hands drop to swing slowly between them.

Kagome blanches and takes a deep breath. "I...know you saw...Ichigo this afternoon, Inuyasha. But it wasn't what it looked like," she says hurredly, a pleading look in her eyes. "I...we were just talking. I...started crying and he...Ichigo...sat next to me and...it just sort of happened." Kagome looks down at their hands, tears starting to well in her eyes. "It shouldn't have even... I broke it off the second he... I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I didn't...it won't happen again--ever," she says determinedly, looking up at the half-demon and daring him to contradict her.

Inuyasha stares at her for a minute before pulling the girl into a hug. She squeaks at the sudden movement, but doesn't make another sound. The half-demon runs his hands through her hair as he speaks. "I know, Kagome. I thought...," he stops, the words dying in his throat. He swallows before beginning again. "I talked to Miroku. He helped me see that you were angry at..._him_. For...for _kissing_ you," the hanyou spits out, growling. He pauses a moment, then sighs. "You...your eyes...glowed. So I knew you were angry--that you weren't...you wouldn't...," Inuyasha trails off, unable to finish the sentence.

Kagome hugs him tightly, her cheek pressed to his. She leans back to look in his eyes. Her heart breaks as she sees the sorrow in them. "I'm sorry," she whispers, placing her free hand against his cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Inuyasha. Please forgive me."

The half-demon stares at her, noting the regret and sadness in her dark eyes. He nods his head slowly, smiling a little as he sees the relief cross her face. "Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily--did you?" he asks, smirking at the shocked look she gives him before hugging her again.

"I wish those beads still worked," Kagome mumbles into his hair, hearing a deep rumble as the half-demon laughs at her comment. The pair stays in their tight embrace until the miko says, "Uh, Inuyasha? We're...we...need to talk...later--after dinner. About...about...last night...and..."

"I know," the hanyou whispers. "We've needed to for awhile now--haven't we?"

Kagome nods, tightening her arms around him. After a few minutes she says, "I...I need to tell you something else."

"What?" he whispers, nuzzling at her neck. Kagome shivers before taking another breath.

"You...you're not gonna like it." The hanyou leans back to look her in the face, confusion in his golden eyes. "Uh...Inuyasha. Ichigo...is coming to dinner," the girl whispers, looking down and pulling gently on the tie hanging loosely around his neck. She slowly raises her head and looks at him through her bangs when he doesn't respond. A muscle in his jaw is twitching.

"Dinner?" he asks, keeping his voice calm and level. Kagome can tell that the hanyou is fighting to keep his anger in check. She nods, looking back at his tie.

"Uh-huh. He's Isshin's son," she whispers. Kagome hears a small intake of breath from Inuyasha before he speaks.

"His...son? Isshin's son? The guy who..._kissed_...you this afternoon...is your mother's boyfriend's son?" he asks, dazed. "What the hell was he doing kissing you if his dad's dating your mom?!" Inuyasha says, his voice rising in anger.

Kagome can feel her cheeks burning. "I...I don't know," she whispers, so low that the half-demon has to tilt his head to hear her. "I...he and his girlfriend...they broke up. And...she doesn't even want to talk to him anymore--he hasn't seen her for, like, a week. And the job he was supposed to have at that publishing company suddenly fell through, so Ichigo's scrambling to find something else before graduation. And...he probably felt like I did...yesterday... you know? Kind of...lost..." Kagome says, her voice dropping lower as she speaks. She still hasn't looked at the hanyou. "I guess...Ichigo thought I could understand...and went...a little too far."

Inuyasha stares at the girl in front of him, playing with his tie. His anger slowly ebbs away as he thinks about the past few months. He sighs. "Ok. I guess...I can understand that...," Kagome looks up at him, surprise on her face. "...but that doesn't mean I'm not still gonna beat him up for what he did."

Kagome pales. "Inu...no, Inuyasha. You can't...," she mumbles, fear flashing across her face as she grabs his shirt in her fists. The half-demon's face falls.

"Ohhhh. But--just a little bit? He's got two arms..." he pleads, grinning as the girl catches onto his game. She punches him in the chest.

"That's not funny, Inuyasha. You could really hurt Ichigo."

"I know--that's why I'm just gonna...have a little talk with him," he says, growling lightly. Kagome sighs.

"I figured you weren't just gonna let him off with an apology. Just...try to be nice. Please?" she asks, wrapping her arms around the hanyou's middle and leaning closer to kiss his neck.

Inuyasha mumbles something that sounds like 'okay' and closes his eyes. He waits a few minutes before tentatively asking, "So, are you gonna look at it?"

"Hrmmm...? What...? Oh! I can?" Kagome asks, laughing at Inuyasha's disappointment as she pulls away. She had forgotten the ring during their talk. Inuyasha rolls his eyes at her as she raises the small box still clutched in her hand.

"Of course, woman. It's yours--isn't it? Open it," he says, his voice betraying his nervousness. Kagome grins sideways at him as she pulls off the fitted lid, revealing a small black cloth lying inside. She hands Inuyasha the box and places the cloth in her palm, slowly unwrapping the object inside. She gasps, her eyes widening as she sees the ring. "It...it's... beautiful, Inuyasha," she whispers, tentatively touching it with her other hand.

Lying on the cloth in her palm is a small circlet of silver. One one side of it, facing the girl, are six spears of diamond. There are 3 on bottom and 3 on top, so that they form a six-pointed star or flower when viewed from the top. In the center of the spears are six small square diamonds--each of a different color: orange, blue, green, red, purple, and yellow. In the center of these is a tiny, round black diamond.

Inuyasha picks up the ring and playfully narrows his eyes at her before bending down on one knee, setting the box and cloth on a step. Kagome gasps. "But...Inuyasha. You've already..."

"I know. But I want to do it properly this time," he says, holding the ring up to her. "Marry me, Kagome?" he asks, smiling at the girl. She grins back at him, then brings one finger up to her chin, tapping it as she makes a show of thinking about his question.

"Well, I don't know. I think...," Kagome breaks off, laughing as she hears the hanyou growling. "Of course I'll marry you!" she says, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Damn right," the half-demon mumbles, slipping the ring over Kagome's finger as he stands. She giggles, watching the diamonds sparkle as she turns her hand back and forth.

"It's perfect, Inuyasha. Where ever did you find it?" she asks, dragging her gaze away to look at the hanyou.

"Well...I kind of cheated a little. I didn't actually buy it," he says, his cheeks gaining a pink tinge. The girl raises her brows at him. "The ring is actually made from a shaving off Tetsusaiga."

Kagome gapes at him. "What?! Wh...wh..."

"Calm down," he says, holding up his hands. "It's not like my sword will miss the tiny piece of metal. You know we're...kinda tight on money, with the wedding and everything. I...was just trying to think of a way to get you a ring without spending too much...or any at all, apparently. This is what I came up with," Inuyasha says quietly.

Kagome continues to gaze at him with her mouth slightly open, not quite believing what she's heard. "Wh...what about the diamonds?" The half-demon looks down as his cheeks darken. "Let me guess," she says, smiling a little. "Adamant Barrage?" Inuyasha nods, keeping his eyes to the ground. The girl shakes her head slowly, both amused and impressed. She reaches out and lifts up his head, leaning closer to kiss him. "Why are you acting like you just got caught doing something wrong, Inuyasha? I love the ring--it's beautiful. I think I love it even more because you came up with the idea yourself and it's made from something that's a part of who you are. Don't act embarrassed--it was a good idea."

"Really?" the hanyou asks, as a wave of relief washes across his features. Kagome smiles before kissing him again.

"Uh-huh. I'm assuming we're gonna do the bands the same way?" she asks, arching a brow at him. He grins widely.

"I had planned to--if that's ok with you," he says, watching as she admires the ring again. The girl smiles at him.

"That's ok with me," she says, trying to sound nonchalant. The two exchange an amused look before laughing softly. Kagome continues to stare at her hand for another minute before she asks, "Where did you get the colored ones? Only clear ones are in the Adamant Barrage Attack."

Inuyasha smiles again. "I asked Hosinki when Totosai said it was possible to use the shards in a ring. Actually, just one was needed for the whole piece. The jewel-maker really is quite amazing with any kind of stone. It was fascinating to watch."

"You got to watch him?"

The hanyou grins wryly. "Yeah. The ring wasn't actually free. Both Totosai and Hosenki had me..._work_...for their services."

Kagome raises her brows in surprise. "What did they have you do? And when did you find time?" she asks, frowning as she tries to remember Inuyasha leaving for any extended periods.

Inuyasha grins. "I'd rather not say, if you don't mind. Some parts are... embarrassing, to say the least. And I've been working on it for...6 months now," the half-demon says, counting on his fingers. "A few hours at a time." Kagome stares at him.

"That long? Really?"

Inuyasha nods, a small smile flitting across his lips. The girl stares at him for a few more seconds before launching herself at the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. Inuyasha pauses a moment--caught off-guard--before he puts his arms around her and picks her up off the step. Kagome growls low in her throat and wraps her legs around his hips. Inuyasha gasps.

"Now?" he asks, between kisses. Kagome grins mischievously at him.

"Oh, yeah," she whispers, giggling as the hanyou returns her growl and hops over the railing to the shadows.

* * *

Ok-dinner is next. I'll try really hard to put the next chap up soon. Anybody have any idea what's going on yet? Cause I'm not sure I do... :) 


	6. Dinner

Hello all. Here is chap 6. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. ... ... ... Anyway. I was going to go on with the story, but the stopping point seemed to be pretty good, and this chap's already longer than what's it's supposed to be. I was gonna try to keep all the chaps short, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to hold to that. And I'm giving up saying that this isn't a Bleach crossover, b/c the more I think about it, the more I can play with characters and stuff, so...it's just gonna be what it's gonna be. :) OK, well, Dozo! Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach.

* * *

_Why is no one ever on time?_ Siore thinks as she opens the door on the oven to check on the chicken roasting inside. "Ummmmm...like, 10 more minutes," she says to the man standing on the other side of the kitchen, who is grating cheese over a broccoli casserole. She closes the oven door and walks over to him.

"Will everyone be here in ten minutes?" Isshin asks, tapping the grater on the edge of the dish to shake loose any remnants. He turns to Siore and hands her the rest of the block before placing the grater in the sink. Siore puts the cheese away and hands Isshin some plastic wrap to put around the casserole before it goes in beside the chicken for a few minutes of warming.

"I doubt it," Siore answers, double checking the place settings on the table. _Let's see...there's me and Isshin, and Kagome and Inuyasha, and Ichigo, and Sota, and he said that Zurui was working late and couldn't come tonight..._ "Can you grab six napkins, Isshin? They're in the cabinet on the other side of the fridge," she asks, walking out of the kitchen to retrieve her cell phone, which she can hear ringing from inside her purse in the front hallway. She hears the man mumble an 'okay' as she leaves the kitchen.

Siore reaches into her purse and picks up her small phone, flipping it open to answer Sota's call. "Yes, dear? Mmm--hmm. Ok--Isshin's the only one here, anyway. No, Kagome and Inuyasha haven't come back yet. No, Ichigo's not here yet, either. Ok--we'll see you in about 20 minutes, then. Bye, dear," Siore says to her son, shutting her phone and dropping it back into her purse. She's turning around to head back to the kitchen when the front door flies open, and her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law walk in, their hair and clothes disheveled, wearing huge grins on their faces. Kagome and Inuyasha freeze in the doorway when they see her, their faces turning a bright red color.

"Well, now I know why you were late," Siore says, obviously amused. She grins when their faces redden even more.

"Uh...mom...Inuyasha and I were just...we were...," Kagome mumbles, trying to hide behind her fiance. Inuyasha glares down at her.

Siore grins again. "I know what you were doing. I was your age once, you know," she says, making the young adults goggle at her. "What? You think parents don't do that?" she asks.

Inuyasha continues to stare, desperately trying to keep his mind from going where she's implying. Kagome is looking at her mother as if she's never seen her before. Siore laughs. "Go get cleaned up, you two. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she says, waving her arm at them as she heads back to the kitchen, still laughing under her breath.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchange bewildered looks, wondering why Siore finds the situation funny when it's obviously horrifying. After a few minutes they give up trying to understand the older woman and head upstairs.

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_I can do this...it was a mistake, it didn't mean anything. Kagome knew that...Inuyasha will...rip off my arms and beat my bleeding body with them..._

Ichigo shakes his head to clear that image from his mind. He had been pacing back and forth at the bottom of the Higurashi Shrine steps for the past 20 minutes, trying to work up the courage to go inside. He tries to remember what Kagome had said Inuyasha looked like, since tonight was the first time he was meeting the man. Ichigo thought that picturing the guy who would beat him to a pulp..._No! Kagome won't let her fiance do anything to me--at least not while we're eating...Ugh! Stop it, Ichigo! You'll be fine. Just explain when he asks you why you did it. He'll be...reasonable. I hope. Maybe he'll just take one arm..._

Ichigo continues to pace for a few more minutes before his phone rings, scaring a high-pitched scream out of the boy. The redhead clutches at his chest as his heart races, silently cursing himself for acting like a sissy. He answers his phone.

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah, dad," Ichigo replies wearily to his father. No doubt the man is already inside the house. He had been talking about the dinner all week, as he hadn't seen Siore since Monday. Ichigo rolls his eyes. His father was falling for Kagome's mom--hard. That just made Ichigo feel worse about what had happened that afternoon. He and Kagome were probably going to end up being siblings one day.

"Where are you, son? We're almost ready to eat," Isshin says, a note of disapproval in his voice. Ichigo hears Siore yell at his father.

"Don't tell him that, Isshin! We still have a few minutes on the rolls, and Sota isn't even here yet. Just...,"

The rest of her sentence is drowned out when Isshin puts his hand over the mouthpiece. Ichigo waits impatiently until his father comes back on the phone.

"Ich..."

"I just got here dad. I'll be up in a few minutes," he says, not waiting for a reply before hanging up on his father. Sometimes that man could drive a crazy person insane.

Ichigo puts his phone back in his pocket and takes a deep breath before climbing the steps to the the shrine. He can feel his heart rate pick up as he approaches the front door. _Well...maybe he'll make it quick..._ Ichigo thinks before ringing the doorbell. He fidgets in place for a few seconds before he hears a deep voice say, "I'll get it!"

Ichigo braces himself as the door opens and a boy about his age stares out. The two are roughly the same height, but the other boy has a slightly bigger build. The smile on his face slowly receeds when he sees Ichigo. He's wearing a pair of khaki pants, but no shirt, and his hair is damp. Ichigo somehow manages to keep a smile off his face, because the boy's long hair has only been half-combed, his bangs sticking out in odd directions. He seems to be struggling to keep a passive expression while looking at Ichigo. Before either of them can say anything, something pulls on the boy's dark hair and he yells.

"Ow! Kagome! That hurts!" Inuyasha says, while being pulled backwards away from the door. Ichigo stares, not sure what's going on. He hears scuffling and giggling from Kagome, more yells from Inuyasha, then a thump and laughing. Edging slowly around the door, Ichigo peers into the living room. Inuyasha is laying on the floor on his stomach, his head propped on one hand while the fingers of the other drum the floor, an annoyed look on his face. Kagome is sitting on his back, a comb in one hand and a section of Inuyasha's hair in the other. She's also wearing khaki's--with a flowery-print tank top--and she has a triumphant grin on her face. Ichigo stares at the two of them from behind the door. Inuyasha glances at the redhead and takes his fingers off the floor long enough to wave at Ichigo to come in. He sighs.

"She likes my hair," he says tiredly. Kagome grins at Ichigo.

"When he brushes it. Otherwise it drives me crazy," she says, concentrating on tangle. Ichigo continues to stare. He's still not sure what to do.

"Are you gonna stand there all night?" Inuyasha asks, slightly annoyed. "We don't bite--well, Kagome doesn't. But you know that already," he mumbles dryly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome says, smacking him on the back of the head. Inuyasha turns to glare at her, rubbing the spot she just hit. She stares him down. He rolls his eyes before turning back to Ichigo, who is still hiding behind the door, his face now a bright red.

"Sorry," Inuyasha says, resuming his drumming of the floor. Kagome goes back to his hair. "I'm just obviously not very happy about...it."

Ichigo nods and slowly comes out from behind the door, closing it after him. He hesitates a moment before walking into the living room and sitting down in a chair near the couple. He's about to say something when Kagome cuts him off.

"I forgot to introduce you guys. Ichigo, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, Ichigo," she says, waving one hand before going back to the brunette's hair.

They nod at one another before Inuyasha says, "What does it mean when a girl introduces her boyfriend before her fiance?" Kagome smacks him again.

"It means that she's being polite to her guest, Inuyasha," she says heatedly. Kagome turns to Ichigo. "If he's joking, it means that he's not that mad...uh, anymore." She smiles apologetically. Ichigo nods and addresses Inuyasha.

"About...about this afternoon. Uh, I want to apologize for...uh, kissing Kagome," he says, dropping his voice on the last two words. Inuyasha raises his brows in surprise. "Yeah. Uh, it...just kinda happened, and...uh, it was a mistake. I shouldn't have...I've just been having a bad...day...week. But that's not an excuse," Ichigo says, holding his hands up and shaking his head a little.

Inuyasha doesn't know how to respond--he thought he'd have to coerce an apology, or--at the least, an explanation--out of the other boy. He turns his head to Kagome, who meets his eyes and gives him a little smile before nodding at Ichigo. Inuyasha turns back around.

"So, uh, anyway. I'm sorry, Inuyasha, for...uh, doing that to Kagome. I know I shouldn't have. It won't happen again," Ichigo says, staring directly into the other boys' eyes.

Inuyasha is surprised at how intense his gaze is. He considers Ichigo for several minutes-- making him fidget in his chair--but the redhead never breaks eye contact. Inuyasha finally smiles; even when he's human, not many people can hold his gaze. He holds out his hand to Ichigo, who looks surprised. "Alright. Apology accepted," he says. "But make sure it doesn't happen again," Inuyasha warns, his dark eyes narrowed at Ichigo.

The other boy stares for a moment, uncomprehending and nervous about the look Inuyasha is giving him. He finally snaps out of his confusion and takes Inuyasha's hand, returning his glare. The brunette gives him a sly grin as they shake. Ichigo resists the urge to rub his hand after they break apart; Inuyasha had a strong grip.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way... Kagome. Are you done with my hair so I can finish getting dressed?" Inuyasha asks, a slight whine coming into his voice. Kagome smiles.

"Just a minute," she says, leaning forward and hovering over him to get at his bangs. He watches her through his hair. Kagome feels her cheeks heating up as her heart thumps wildly. She sees Inuyasha smile at her. _How can he always do that to me?_ she asks herself, taking a deep breath before she says, "Done." Inuyasha gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before he bounds upstairs. Kagome turns to Ichigo, still blushing, and notices that he has a sad, blank stare on his face. She waves his hand to get his attention.

"Huh? What? Oh, uh, what's up, Kagome?" he asks, trying to sound normal. Kagome smiles sadly at him.

"You miss her?" she asks, getting up off the floor and sitting on the couch. Ichigo looks at her for a minute before slowly nodding. "Have you talked to her yet?"

Ichigo shakes his head. "No. She...won't return my calls." Ichigo pauses. "I guess she doesn't want to be friends, even," he says, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands. Kagome feels her heart break for Ichigo. She doesn't know the details, but apparently the break-up had been out of the blue--Ichigo hadn't seen it coming at all. That's why he'd been concerned about Kagome and Inuyasha talking about their problems. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Inuyasha. Kagome smiles. Ichigo was a good guy--he'd just had some bad luck lately. She reaches over and takes one of his hands.

"You know, I'm here if you need me, Ichigo," she says, squeezing his hand gently. Ichigo looks up at their hands, then continues to her face. He nods at the girl, a small smile on his lips.

"Thanks," he says, patting her hand with his other one. Kagome smiles back before letting go of his hand and standing up.

"Want to see if dinner's ready?" she asks, heading for the kitchen. Ichigo hesitates a moment before he nods and stands up to follow her. A frown spreads across his face as he watches the girl walking before him. Ichigo hated himself sometimes. Right now was one of them.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Sorry I'm late," Sota says breathlessly as he plops down in a chair next to his sister and takes the basket of rolls she's passing to him. "Zurui needed to borrow my notes from History class, but her boss wanted her to wait until her break to get them. She made some kind of chocolate pie for dessert, if that's ok. I said I'd go get her after her shift," he says, taking a chicken leg from his mother. "Thanks, mom."

"Your welcome, dear. That's sweet of Zurui. We'd love to see her--wouldn't we Kagome?" Siore says, taking a bite of the broccoli casserole.

"Mmm-hmmm," Kagome says, swallowing part of her rice ball. "I like her a lot, Sota. How'd she ever end up with you?" she asks, rubbing her knuckles on the top of her brother's head while she smirks at him. Sota glares and sticks out his tongue at her.

"It must be his irresistable charm," Inuyasha says dryly. Sota turns to him with a shocked expression.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Inuyasha," Sota says, pouting. Inuyasha stares at the boy for a minute.

"You're right, Sota. I meant to say, it must be the fact that you're so mature for you're age." The rest of the table laughs while Sota glares at him, stabbing two pieces of squash and a zucchini before thrusting his fork in his mouth.

"Leave him alone, Inuyasha." Kagome says, patting her brother on the back. "If I remember correctly, you weren't very mature when you were sixteen, either," she says, raising a brow at her fiance. Inuyasha narrows his eyes at her and concentrates on his chicken. He can hear Sota stifling a laugh. He scowls. The boy knew all about his antics in the Feudal Era.

Isshin and Ichigo assume that Inuyasha had been a bit of a troublemaker when he was a teen, and don't question Kagome's comment. Siore smiles. She, too, knew about the hanyou's immaturity, brashness, rudeness, and short temper when Kagome had first met him. He'd come a long way since then, though those parts of his personality still showed themselves occasionally. Siore decides to change the conversation to something less likely to cause an argument.

"So, how is Sango, dear? She should be due any day now--right?"

Kagome grins at her mother. She knew what Siore was doing and was more than willing to go along with it. "She's fine mom. I think about another month, though. I'll ask tomorrow when I take her the gift I'm making."

"Who's Sango? A friend of yours?" Ichigo asks. He doesn't remember Kagome ever mentioning this girl, and was pretty sure he hadn't had any classes with anyone with that name.

"Yes. Sango's about to have her third child. She's driving Miroku crazy, though," Kagome replies, taking a roll Inuyasha passes to her and letting her fingers brush briefly against his. She gives him a flirty glance as he catches her eye. The boy blushes and goes back to his dinner.

"I take it he's the husband?" Isshin asks, turning his head toward Siore. She sees the glance he's giving her and refuses to look at him, choosing to distract herself by cutting a carrot in half. Isshin smiles when he sees the blush coming onto her cheeks, however.

"Yes," Inuyasha answers. "He was a bit of a...womanizer before he met Sango, but she put a stop to all that. Miroku's completely devoted to her and the kids. Good thing, too. Sango could handle him before she got pregnant; I'd hate to see what she'd do if he so much as glanced at another woman now."

"Especially since Sango's so close to her due date," Kagome says. "Last time I saw her, she actually gave me a dirty look for hugging Miroku. And she was only 5 months along." She shrugs when Sota and Ichigo give her quizzical looks. "Hormones," she says, idly pushing pieces of rice around her plate that had fallen off a rice ball.

"Are you two close?" Ichigo asks, taking a sip of his tea. Kagome nods.

"We've been friends for several years. Miroku, too. That's why I was surprised when she gave me that look. Sango should know I don't like him as anything other than a friend. I met Miroku before she did, and I've never liked him like that--even after he groped me."

Kagome's comment is met with silence. Isshin, Ichigo, and Sota are staring at her, their mouths slightly open. Inuyasha slowly sets his knife and fork on the table, afraid that he'll snap the utensils in half if he doesn't put them down. The half-demon still hated the image of the monk's hand on Kagome's backside. It made him angry every time the incident was mentioned.

Siore glances around at the small group. Her daughter seems to be unaware that she's said anything out of the ordinary, and her fiance is obviously struggling to keep his temper in check. The older woman could understand the Kurosaki's reactions, as they hadn't heard some of the stories about Miroku's flirtatious ways, but Sota shouldn't have been surprised, even though he hadn't heard this particular story. He knew what the monk was capable of; would it be such a stretch of the imagination to see Miroku hitting on Kagome? Siore allows herself a small smile. Her daughter had come home after her first encounter with the monk and raved for over an hour about him 'violating her space.' She always found it amusing that Kagome never once complained about Inuyasha, who would carry her around on his back, and therefore obviously had to support the girl some way. It never seemed to occur to either of them that Inuyasha's hands were on Kagome's behind almost every day. Siore decides to break the silence.

"Inuyasha said Miroku was a womanizer. He wasn't kidding," she says, glancing at the boys as she stands up from the table and takes her and Isshin's empty plates into the kitchen. Ichigo, Isshin, and Sota stare at the swinging door for a moment before turning to Inuyasha. He shrugs, picking up his knife and fork to eat the last of his chicken.

"It was the first and last time Miroku touched her," he says mildly, purposely ignoring Ichigo's widening stare. Kagome glances from Inuyasha to Ichigo and back, hoping that the boys won't start anything at the table. Isshin and Sota don't seem to notice the sudden tension in the room.

Ichigo forces his question out. Inuyasha had said he accepted his apology, but from the tone of the boy's last sentence, Ichigo wasn't so sure. He wanted to see what had happened to another guy who had touched Kagome. "Wh...at did you do, Inuyasha?"

The long-haired boy raises his dark chocolate eyes to the redhead's sunset-colored ones. The two stare at one another, both getting the impression that the other is more than what he seems. Inuyasha is the first one to break contact, turning to Kagome with an amused grin. "I threatened him, of course. Actually, Kagome told me to kill him," he says, grinning widely at his fiance. Kagome giggles. Ichigo and Isshin do not. They stare at the pair with wide eyes, wondering how a death threat could possibly be funny. Sota blinks at his sister a couple of times before shaking his head and taking his plate into the kitchen.

Kagome glances at Ichigo and his father, laughing again when she sees their expressions. "I was kidding about the 'kiling' part, but Miroku got the point. And since Inuyasha was there, he didn't try anything again." Kagome decided to leave out the part about Miroku asking her to bear his child. She couldn't explain that without telling the father and son why the monk wanted an heir, and it would be down-hill from there. She sees Ichigo's and Isshin's faces relax a little, buy they're still giving her wary looks.

"I think I'm gonna see what Siore's up to," Isshin says, grabbing his plate and leaving the table rather hurredly. Sota passes him in the doorway, and asks Kagome if she wants to come with him to get Zurui.

She nods, kissing Inuyasha on the cheek as she gets up. "Can you help mom with the dishes?" she asks, walking away with her brother, an innocent grin on her face. He rolls his eyes at her. Did she even need to ask?

The two boys left at the table sit in silence for a few minutes before Inuyasha stands and begins to stack up dishes. Ichigo watches him for a second before he starts to help. "You don't need...," Inuyasha starts to say. Ichigo interrupts him.

"I want to. It's the least I can do after the meal we just had," he says, placing several pieces of cutlery inside of a glass, and picking up the casserole dish. Inuyasha gives him a quizzical look before shrugging.

"Suit yourself," he says, walking around the table and into the kitchen, holding the door for Ichigo to pass through. The redhead nods at Inuyasha. At least the two of them were being civil toward each other.

Siore takes the dishes from the boys and shooes them out of the kitchen. Inuyasha tries to tell her that he wants to help, but it seemed that Isshin had already volunteered. "But you guys made the dinner," Ichigo says, as Siore literally pushes him and Inuyasha out the back door.

"That's alright. I haven't seen Isshin all week, and I want to spend some time alone with him," she says, closing the door before either of them can protest. Inuyasha and Ichigo stare inside the glass for a few seconds before Siore closes the drapes. The boys exchange befuddled looks.

"Well, this isn't going to be awkward," Inuyasha says dryly.

* * *

OK? Um...yeah... 


	7. The Offer

Here's number #7, guys. This one is turning out to have a very, very complicated plot. I just hope I can kep it all straight. Anyway, little mystery and maybe suspense for ya, hopefully. Ok, I gotta get to bed; it's been a very long weekend. As always, Inu isn't mine, but a girl can dream--can't she? Oh, when I say 'English,' I mean, as related to writing, not the language itself. And I don't know how publishing companies really work, or how papers actually get printed, this is just my idea of how it might happen. Kapeesh? _Probably didn't spell that right..._

* * *

Ichigo and Inuyasha are walking down the sidewalk, heading for a small park not far from the Shrine. The boys had spent a few awkward minutes staring at one another before the hanyou suggested it. He said they should try to get to know one another since they were likely to end up being related. Ichigo had agreed.

_He looks so...dejected..._ Inuyasha thinks, glancing sideways at the red-head. Ichigo has his hands in his pockets and his head down, shuffling his feet a little on the sidewalk. He had't said a word since they'd left the Higurashi property. Inuyasha decides to break the silence.

"So...Kagome said you were a, uh...what major were you again, Ichigo?" The look the other boy gives him a look that makes Inuyasha think he should have kept his mouth shut.

"English, with a minor in Communications," he says, sneering slightly. He sighs. "Kagome told you I had that job at that publishing company? Shuppan Suru Genzai?" Inuyasha nods. "Well, they say they're going to hire several students right before they graduate, but only take the ones they think they can...manipulate easily." Ichigo grins wryly. "Apparently I can't be controlled, according to my interview. Though they didn't put it that way. 'Doesn't work well with others,' and 'Doesn't follow instructions,' they said." The boy rolls his eyes. _If they only knew..._

Inuyasha frowns. "Not to be rude, but that just sounds like you didn't have a good interview."

Ichigo nods. "That's what I thought--at first. But a friend of mine started there a couple of years ago. Nice guy, but too eager to please. They snatched him right up; he's been miserable ever since. Hasn't advanced at all--still stuck in a ground-floor job. But he won't, or maybe, _can't_ put up a fuss. Got married right after he got the job; wife just had their first. He won't leave the company anytime soon. And according to my friend, he's not the only one who's stuck in the same position. Over half the people hired with him are still there, too."

The hanyou frowns again, his mouth set in a slight grimace. Something did not feel right about this. He makes a mental note to talk to Kagome about it later, before he looks up at Ichigo. "But what exactly is the company trying to do? Do they have information they don't want leaked? Higher-ups taking too many corporate vacations?"

Ichigo shrugs. "Don't know. I thought they just published books and magazines, and not any big-time or popular ones. But I'll never know now. I gotta worry about finding another job by next weekend...," he mutters, kicking a small rock as the pair crosses the street into the park. Inuyasha knows he's talking about graduation. Kagome will be getting her degree next weekend, too.

The boys make their way toward a bench stationed next to a small pond, watching the sleeping ducks, geese, and swans drift across the still water. A warm wind is blowing, making the boy's hair ruffle slightly in the evening light. The red-head takes out a pack of cigarettes and offers one to Inuyasha. The hanyou makes a disgusted face.

Ichigo nods. "I know--me, too." Inuyasha raises his brows at him. The red-head chuckles lightly. "Sometimes I take a drag, but mostly I just watch them burn. It helps with stress, for some strange reason." The hanyou gives him a look that says he thinks _he_ is strange.

Inuyasha and Ichigo sit in silence for several minutes, watching the cigarette burn slowly. _No wonder it helps with stress...you could sit for an hour doing nothing but watching it disappear... _A sudden idea pops into Inuyasha's head, and he idly wonders if it's possible. Deciding there's no harm in asking, he says, "What were you going to do for that company, Ichigo?"

The other boy drops the cigarette and watches it roll a few feet before coming to a stop--still burning--before he speaks. "I was hoping to be an editor some day. I don't mean the guy who runs the show...," he says upon seeing the hanyou's slightly shocked look. "...I mean someone who actually gets to read the material and edit it. I'd rather do books than magazines, but I'd take anything right now."

Inuyasha quirks a brow. "What made you pick that as a career?"

Ichigo shrugs. "I'm no good at writing my own stuff, but I like to read. A lot. And according to some of my teachers, I'm a natural at finding flaws in other people's writing. I've never been a 9 to 5 kinda guy, and doing this would let me work at my own pace, in my own time." He looks at Inuyasha sadly. "It doesn't matter now, anyway. Openings for other companies will be filled, so I'll have to wait til next Spring before I can find something." Ichigo stares at the pack of cigarettes lying beside him on the bench, seriously considering lighting another one. Inuyasha's words interrupt his thoughts.

"What do you think of scientific papers?"

Ichigo turns confusedly to the hanyou. "Think about them for what?"

Inuyasha laughs lightly. "Could you edit those? I know a lot of them might have stuff that's over your head, but me or my advisor could help you understand. The guy that did Mr. Kioshigan's for _Zientifike _retired a few weeks ago. Now he's looking for someone who can check the reports before they're sent off to be published. The company who prints the magazine takes them 'as is'; we have to do the editing ourselves. Interested?"

Ichigo stares at the other boy as if he's just been slapped. It takes a few minutes for the words to sink in. "You...you're offering me a job?" he asks dazedly.

Inuyasha grins. "Yes. I have to run it by Suru first, but he's pretty easy-going. As long as you can do it, I can safely say, 'Yes, Ichigo. I'm offering you a job.'"

Ichigo contiues to stare.

---------------------------------

"No, Zurui. I am not pregnant; that's what birth control is for," Kagome says, rolling her eyes and staring out the window nervously, trying to act annoyed. The younger girl seemed to ask the miko this everytime she saw her lately. They hadn't told anybody, but Kagome and Inuyasha had decided to stop taking the birth control about a week ago--despite the problems they were having. That way, she would be back on her normal cycle by the time they were married. But the fact that Kagome wasn't actually on anything wasn't going to stop the miko from cursing the younger girl the next time she asked.

The auburn-haired, emerald-eyed 16-year old sitting behind Kagome in Sota's Toyota 4-Runner, was very smart and very tricky--Kagome wondered why she had ever agreed to date her brother in the first place. She got far better grades than her boyfriend, even fruitlessly tutoring him in several subjects. She also worked 25 hours a week at a small diner and babysat on the weekends. Kagome liked to think she would have been like Zurui had she not been pulled into a magical well by a centipede demon, traveled 500 years into the past, met and fell in love with a half-dog demon, helped to kill another, very powerful half-demon, and ridded the world of an even more powerful, and extremely dangerous magical object. The priestess sighs, then smiles. She would do it again in a heartbeat.

"But, Kagome. You didn't say that _you_ were on birth control," Zurui says, hugging the older girl from behind.

Kagome frowns. _How...? _She can hear Sota stiffling his snickers from the driver's seat. She glares at him.

"It wasn't me," he says, raising one hand at his sister. He keeps his eyes on the road, but Kagome can see the smile on his face from the light shining from the streetlamps.

"You and Inuyasha have been acting more, uh, _flirty_ lately, Kagome. And you've been on it for, what? Three years already? And you're going to be married in a little less than a month. It makes sense that you'd come off it about now," Zurui says, laying her head on Kagome's shoulder.

The priestess holds her glare for another minute before she sighs. "You're right, Zurui. I stopped taking it a little more than a week ago. And you've apparently told Sota already," she says, looking at the excited expressions aimed at her. "But don't tell mom. Or anybody else. Inuyasha and I don't know how long it'll take, and we can only handle so many happy people at once," Kagome warns.

Her brother and Zurui nod their heads, huge grins on their faces. Kagome looks from Sota to his girlfriend, thinking--not for the first time--that she must be a descendent of Shippo's. Kagome and Inuyasha couldn't tell either of them this, of course, but it was comforting to know that a part of the past had survived to today.

Kagome is about to ask the girl how school is going when she suddenly frowns. The miko turns completely around in her seat and looks out the back of the SUV, drawing confused looks from the other two.

"Wh...?" Zurui starts to ask. Kagome interrupts her.

"Floor it," she says, looking at her brother with a deadly serious expression. Sota stares at his sister for exactly two seconds before slamming the gas pedal down.

----------------------------

"Well, do you want it or not?" Inuyasha asks the still flustered-looking red-head. Ichigo is gaping at the hanyou with his mouth open and his eyes wide. He hasn't said a word in five minutes.

Ichigo slowly closes his mouth and blinks at the other boy, a small frown on his face. From his expression, Inuyasha guesses that he is thinking his offer over, and is weighing his options. The dark-haired boy remains silent, letting Ichigo make the decision on his own. Inuyasha made the offer; it was up to the red-head to decide if he wanted it or not.

Ichigo's frown deepens and his brow furrows together before he speaks. "I'd be working with you?" he asks.

Inuyasha nods. "And Suru Kioshigan. My advisor and Head of the Paleontology Department at Tokyo U. There's also the possibility that you might see some other professors and maybe some grad and undergrads, too. It depends on what paper you're working on."

Still frowning, Ichigo asks, "What would the hours be? And where?"

Inuyasha grins to himself, but doesn't display his emotions to the other boy. Papers had been getting a little backed up, since most of the staff and students working on each project also had other things going on and couldn't divert their attentions to getting the papers ready to be published. Inuyasha himself was trying to get his thesis finished, work part-time, graduate, and get married. Suru had been pestering his fellow professors, students, and advisees to find him someone who could take on the work. If Ichigo agreed to do it, Suru would be ecstatic.

"It'd probably be 8 to 5 the first month or so--til you get used to the terminology and what's supposed to be left in the papers and what can be edited out. After you know what you're doing, you'll only have to go to the campus to check certain things with the researchers, and to run the final cut by Kioshigan. Usually that's on Friday's, when he has the most free time. His schedule will be a little different now--since it's almost summer--and you'd be working in the Paleontology Department, but I won't know where unless you take the job."

Ichigo nods, his frown lessening somwhat. The boy sits back agains the bench, stretching his arms over his head and taking a deep breath. "What's the pay like?" he asks nonchalantly.

Inuyasha can't help himself this time. He grins widely. _Got him..._ "Pretty good. Twenty-five to thirty, with benefits. But since you'd be working for the University, the pay probably won't go up much. Maybe a little, but not more than 35, at the highest. Still pretty good, though. It'd be a good experience for you, too. In case you ever want to come back to it later on; you'll already know how scientific papers are handled."

The red-head clenches his jaw muscles a few times and closes his eyes--thinking. He stays this way for a few minutes, occasionally muttering to himself. Inuyasha remains quiet, watching the stars twinkling overhead, wondering what it'll be like to work with the man sitting next to him. Because, despite Ichigo's calm demeanor, the hanyou knows the other boy will take the job, and is excited about it, too. After a moment, the red-head leans forward and looks at Inuyasha. The brunette turns his head.

"You've got a deal," Ichigo says, holding out one hand.

Inuyasha smiles. "Great...," he says, taking the other boy's hand and shaking it. "...be at the apartment at 7:30 on Monday and you can come in with me, and the boys and I will get you started." Ichigo nods, still slightly in awe. Inuyasha stands and stretches, turning back the way they came. "Let's head back. Sota, Kagome, and Zurui are probably back by now. Have you met Sota's girlfriend?" Ichigo stands and follows Inuyasha before answering.

"No. Only Kagome and Siore before tonight, though Kagome's told me about everyone, of course," Ichigo says, dropping his voice. Inuyasha narrows his eyes a little before sighing.

"Yes...she and I are gonna have a little...big...talk, later tonight," he mumbles, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He shrugs after a minute. "Anyway, Zurui is...well, let's say you won't forget her anytime soon," the hanyou says, a sly grin on his face.

Ichigo raises one brow but doesn't comment. The boys exit the park and make their way back toward the Shrine, a strangely comfortable silence between the two of them. When they round the last corner and are only a block away from the house, a dark green and white 4-Runner goes flying past them--too fast for Ichigo and Inuyasha to see the occupants inside--but the half-demon knows what Sota's car looks like. He gives the red-head an alarmed glance before he takes off running, grudgingly keeping his demon speed in check, so the other boy can keep up.

-------------------------

_Ichigo's pretty fast..._ Inuyasha thinks as he climbs the steps to the Shrine. He pants a few times--pretending to be out of breath--as the other boy is gasping, trying to get his back to normal. The two of them are about a minute behind the others. The hanyou glances up and sees Kagome standing on the steps leading into the house, a vaguely amused expression on her face. His gaze connects with hers and Inuyasha stifles a gasp. His fiancé looked scared.

Kagome looks away from Inuyasha and gazes down at Ichigo. "Sorry, you guys. I saw you as we passed, but Sota wasn't going to slow down. Zurui felt sick, and my brother's a little... protective of his car...," the miko apologizes, staring sorrowfully at the two boys. "We didn't mean to worry you. She just hasn't eaten in a few hours... Zurui should be fine now." Kagome puts on a happy grin and walks down the stairs. "Why don't you go get some water, Ichigo?"

The red-head stares at Kagome as if she is personally responsible for his flushed cheeks and lack of breath. He exchanges a look with Inuyasha--noticing that the brunette is wearing a similarly annoyed look--before huffing up the stairs and heading into the house. Kagome waits until she hears the door close before she starts walking back to the steps leading down to street level.

"What is it?" Inuyasha growls, yanking off his necklace and stuffing it in his pocket as he follows his fiancé. He'd played along with Kagome in front of Ichigo, but now the hanyou wanted to know what was going on.

"On the way back, I felt...," Kagome begins to say. The miko suddenly stops--making Inuyasha walk into her--but she hardly notices. The half-demon hears a small intake of air from the girl before a bright blue bubble of light surrounds the two of them.

Inuyasha gasps. _Kagome's barrier? Wha...? _The demon's thoughts are interrupted by several large, curved, white, and deadly blades of wind flying around them. The hanyou watches in stunned silence as the edges bounce off the barrier, dissipating harmlessly into the air. Thankfully, the blades vanish just short of the house, leaving everything but the grass beneath their feet untouched. Inuyasha takes a deep breath. If Kagome hadn't put up her barrier, the two of them would be sliced to ribbons right now.

"Well, well. Looks like the little princess knows her stuff..."

Inuyasha frowns as he and Kagome stare ahead of them, toward the top of the stairs. _I know that voice..._ The hanyou growls as he recognizes the woman standing before them, an identical sound echoing from the girl by his side.

"Kagura."

* * *

Well?? 


	8. Talks

Hey all. Here is #8. I think you're going to be like, 'What?!' but that's the point. :) I'm gonna try to do a double post, but it'll be at least later tonight, if not tomorrow before I get it up. Dis: Inu and Bleach no mine. :( Oh, don't take my word on how museums, universities (especially Japanese), cafe's, publishing companies, etc work; this is just how I need them to for the purpose of the story. Ok, that's all!

* * *

Ichigo is sitting on a bench outside his apartment building, trying to make sense of what he'd seen. He keeps replaying the moment over and over in his mind.

The boy had gotten a drink of water, and was taking the glass back to the living room, where the others were waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha to return. As he passed the front door, Ichigo looked out the windows that framed the opening, and received a shock.

A large blue bubble surrounded two people, with a third--a woman--standing on the far side. The woman seemed to speak to the people in the bubble for a minute or so, then vanished in a whirl of smoke. As Ichigo continued to stare, the orb slowly receeded and the redhead got another blow. Inuyasha was not the person standing with Kagome. Or so he thought.

The boy recognized the miko, but couldn't figure out who the guy with the silver hair was. As he continued to watch the pair, Ichigo also noticed something very odd; there were _dog_ ears on the top of the boys' head.

_What the hell?!_ Ichigo rubbed his eyes, sure that he was seeing things. The ears were still there. And then the boy turned around, and the younger Kurosaki almost dropped his glass. It was _Inuyasha_. And he didn't have dark eyes anymore. Now they were _gold._

Back-pedeling away from the window, Ichigo leaned against the stair-railing before sitting down a few steps from the bottom. He set his glass on the floor, sure that he'd drop it if he didn't. Before Ichigo can process what he's just seen, the front door opens and Kagome and the dark-haired Inuyasha enter. The redhead is caught so off-guard that doesn't notice their worried expressions, and yells instead.

Kagome and Inuyasha stare, while the others all come rushing in from the living room, confused as to why Ichigo is making that noise. The boy takes a look at everyone standing around him, and quickly mumbles something about a seeing a spider. Ichigo's father takes over the conversation then, and tells the others that his son had always been afraid of them, but refused to kill the tiny creatures.

Isshin then proceeded to mention everything else that his son was afraid of, and Ichigo decided that he had had enough for one night, and excused himself from the Higurashi residence. The boy had sprinted back to his apartment, feeling the need to burn off some of the adrenaline that was coursing through his system. He had received far too many shocks today, and didn't think he could take any more. Ichigo still had one left to go, though.

Absorbed as he was in his own thoughts, Ichigo doesn't notice the person standing behind him until a raspy voice speaks.

"How did dinner go, Ichigo?"

The redhead is so startled that he falls off the bench. He turns to look at the blonde-haired man, who is smiling beneath his baseball cap.

"Sorry...I couldn't wait until tomorrow...," the man says. He leans against the back of the bench and stares at Ichigo with narrowed white eyes. Ichigo suppresses a shudder. The man looked as though he had been visited by death. "Did you meet him?"

Ichigo hesitates a few seconds before nodding. "Yes...Shadan. He...Sota's just like his sister. He should be coming into his powers very soon." The boy bows his head, hating the position he was in. And he couldn't see a way out. Shadan grins again.

"Good. I will let you know when we need your..._services_, again, Ichigo. In the meantime...relax. You look tense, Kurosaki," the man says, a low laugh echoing back as he disappears into the darkness.

Ichigo buries his head in his hands. He wanted to strangle himself right now. But...he couldn't. She needed him. The redhead shudders. They had been specific in the letter. Ichigo would comply, or there would be...accidents.

The boy sighs before slowly standing, feeling his dinner settling uncomfortably in his stomach. His mind wanders back to the silver-haired boy he had seen earlier, and Ichigo closes his eyes, knowing one thing with certainty.

Dog-ears or no, Inuyasha hadn't killed him for what he'd done to Kagome. But he'd surely kill him for what he was doing to her brother.

-------------------------

"That wasn't Kagura." The miko frowns. "There wasn't any demonic aura coming from...her. I sensed something, but it wasn't demonic," Kagome says. She hears a grunt from Inuyasha as he pulls off his t-shirt and slides into bed beside her. The hanyou props his head on one hand and stares down at his fiancé.

"I know," he sighs. "It looked and sounded like her, but she...the person, didn't smell anything like Naraku, thank Kami." Inuyasha rubs his free hand against his temples before dropping his head to the pillow and closing his eyes. "I wish we could go to sleep now; this has been the longest day..."

Kagome smiles and kisses the half-demons' forehead. "Yeah, baby. But we still gotta talk." Inuyasha looks at her with narrowed eyes.

"Nobody knows you call me that--right?" he asks. The girl rolls her eyes.

"No. But you really need to get used to it, Inuyasha. I think mom finds it odd that we never call each other anything besides our names. She always called my dad 'sweetie' whenever she was talking to him. And Zurui is already calling Sota, 'Teddy.' "

Inuyasha raises an eyebrow. 'Teddy'?"

Kagome nods. "Yeah. 'Teddy Bear.'" The hanyou makes a slightly disgusted face, which makes the miko giggle. "I know. But it's better than 'Fluffy.' "

The couple exchanges an amused look at this point, before breaking down into hysterical laughing. They stop after a few minutes, and Inuyasha sighs.

"Alright. I guess you can say 'baby,' if I can say..." The half-demon stops talking and gives Kagome an evil grin, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"No."

Inuyasha's face falls and he pouts. "But..."

"No, Inuyasha. That's not a nice word, and you can't say that in public if you don't want to get dirty looks. Besides, you already call me that, anyway, during..." Kagome says, breaking off as her cheeks redden. The boy glares at her.

"Fine. How about 'darling,' or something cliché like that?" he asks, sneering. The miko sighs.

"Well, it's better than saying something derogatory," she mumbles. Kagome keeps speaking when she sees the look Inuyasha is giving her. "I know it's not to you, but most people don't have demon blood, and don't understand your meaning. They'd think you were insulting me."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "It's none of their damn business. I should be able to call you whatever I like," he mumbles, burying his face in the pillow.

Kagome sighs again. Both of them knew why they were having this silly converstion. The couple was avoiding the real talk they needed to have. The miko turns onto her side and starts gently rubbing the fuzzy ears on the top of her fiancé's head. She hears a low rumble from the boy's throat before she speaks.

"We've gotta talk sometime, Inuyasha. We can do it now and maybe get some sleep tonight, or keep putting it off. Either way, we're long past ignoring it. We need to talk."

The hanyou grunts and turns his head to face the girl, his eyes half-closed as Kagome continues to rub his ears. "Alright," he mumbles.

The pair is silent for several minutes, neither one wanting to start the conversation. The young miko opens her mouth several times, but never manages to make any sound. The hanyou finally gives in and speaks first, reaching up to grab Kagome's hand and kissing the back before wrapping her fingers inside his own.

"Ok. Why don't you tell me what you said to Ichigo today," he says. A small smile at his gesture is quickly followed by a frown before the girl sighs.

"O...k..."

Kagome takes a deep breath before beginning--telling the story in a rush--so that Inuyasha can't interrupt her. The girl even includes the part about the idea of her leaving him, preferring to just get everything out in the open while she can. She hears a small intake of air from the boy, but no other sound. Kagome avoids looking at Inuyasha's face, afraid of what she will see in his eyes. She keeps her head bowed when she finishes, a deep blush on her cheeks. It takes the hanyou a few minutes to answer.

"Kagome...you...," Inuyasha stops, the words lost in his throat. He forces the lump down his throat before starting again. "You...you'd thought about...leav..." He stops again, unable to get the words out. The girl raises her eyes a little and sees tears streaking down the his cheeks. Kagome can feel her own eyes starting to water. She throws herself at the boy.

"I wouldn't do it, Inuyasha! I won't deny I've thought about it, but I would never leave you! I love you too much! I can't imagine my life without..." The girl stops, her voice lost amid the sobs that are racking her body. She continues to cry as the half-demon slowly puts his arms around her, his own tears sliding down into her dark hair. He swallows again.

"I...know...Kagome," he whispers. "You promised to stay by my side, and... I believe you."

The miko looks up at him, her bottom lip trembling. She bites down on it as fresh tears start to fall. "You...you do?" she asks, her voice catching. Inuyasha nods and kisses her brow before embracing the girl again.

"Mmm-hmmm. All these years I've been trying to get rid of you, and you still can't take a hint..."

Kagome leans back and looks at the hanyou with a horrified expression before one of rage takes over. Inuyasha smirks and quickly hugs the girl to his body, a deep rumbling echoing through his chest. He speaks again while the miko struggles against him, ignoring the names she's cursing him with.

"I'm kidding, Kagome. You still put up with me--even after everything we've been through. You didn't leave even when I told you to. And if another guy's kiss isn't enough to lure you away, then I guess you're stuck with me forever...because I'm never going to leave your side, either."

The girl stops struggling as the half-demon finishes, and simply breathes quietly against his bare chest. Kagome brings her arms up to encircle his neck, and places a slow kiss on his adam's apple. She speaks quietly.

"Promise?"

Inuyasha smiles. "Yes..._ kame-hato_."

Kagome leans away from her fiancé and arches one brow. "Turtle dove?" she asks. Inuyasha shrugs.

"Why not?"

The miko rolls her eyes and shakes her head before hugging the boy again. "Ok. So... now..."

"Now we need to talk about why you feel like I'm never there, which is not that difficult to figure out. Tonight is the most we've seen each other in the past month." Inuyasha sighs and rolls onto his back, dragging the girl onto his chest. Kagome crosses her arms and rests her head on them.

"I just... every time we talk to each other, we fight. And then we pretend like nothing happened, and we get into another one. I...work is stressing me out...having to deal with customers all the time, and school has been getting more hectic, since I'm almost done with my degree. We still have sooo much of the wedding to plan, and only a month left to do it, and Gramps is still..." Kagome breaks off here and buried her head in Inuyasha's chest while he runs his hands through her hair. The hanyou speaks when he feels the girl trembling.

"Sango's going to have the baby any day now, and you know we'll have to spend some time with her and Miroku until she can get up and around again. And we're having a ceremony with them, too, which we haven't even started to think about. I'm almost finished with my thesis, but I'll still be working at the museum and going over to the University some during the summer, and then..."

"Then you'll go to that _Montana_ place, and I won't see you for a year," Kagome mumbles. Inuyasha can feel her tears on his chest. He waits a few minutes before responding, his lips twitching into a smile.

"I forgot to tell you. Suru told us yesterday that we could bring spouses, if we had them."

"Really?!" Kagome yells, sitting up with her hands on either side of the boy's torso. Her voice is so loud that Inuyasha has to flatten his ears and hush the girl.

"Ssshhhh, Kagome," he answers, grinning. The miko has the biggest smile on her face that he's seen in quite awhile. "The others are probably asleep by now, but, yes...really. Apparently I'm not the only one who's gone to him with this. Rinita, Tsubuki, and Horoku all have significant others, and don't want to be separated from them for that long either. Especially Horoku, since Masga is due in December. And I know some of the staff is reluctant, too. We haven't figured out the details yet, but Kioshigan needs to know the total by next Friday, so what should I tell him?" the hanyou asks. Inuyasha puts an innocent look on his face and pretends not to know how Kagome will answer. The miko doesn't even notice. She's trying to stifle her squealing.

Kagome has her fingers in her mouth and can't answer properly. Another high-pitched noise escapes her throat and she clamps her other hand over the first as she falls over onto the bed, stomping her feet against it. Inuyasha starts laughing and sits up so that he can hover over her.

"I guess that's a 'yes'?"

The girl nods fervently and closes her eyes, still stomping the bed. Inuyasha has to pry her arms apart so that he can get close enough to kiss the miko, to which she responds instantly. Forty-five minutes later, they finally get back to their conversation.

Kagome can hear a low purring coming from the boy beneath her. "I _really_ want to go to sleep now," the half-demon says, yawning. The girl nods.

"I know; me, too. But we're still not done yet. Though I do feel better since we've started talking." The miko sits up on her fiancé's torso and stretches her arms over her head. Inuyasha smirks.

"I wonder why...," he says, earning a punch in the chest.

"_Noooo_," Kagome says, rolling her eyes at the laughing hanyou. "I meant, I feel better...in here. There's not so much... I don't feel so...helpless, anymore," she whispers. The girl has placed both hands over her heart, her fingers curved slightly inward. She looks up at the instantly somber half-demon, who is now leaning up on his elbows with a serious expression on his face.

"I'm...sorry, Kagome. That we haven't...that I haven't been around much, lately. It's...it's been hard on me, too..." The hanyou sits all the way up and wraps the girl in his arms. "I... it... you know I've got a short temper...but it's been worse lately. It seems like I'm constantly getting into squabbles with my co-workers and other graduates. I even had to leave a meeting because I disagreed with Kitcina about what to use in the displays framing the front doors. I slammed the door to the room so hard that it fell off it's hinges."

Kagome gasps. Kitcina was Inuyasha's boss at the museum. He needed the hours for two reasons: money, obviously; it was a paid internship. And the hours he worked were counted as credit towards his Master's. If the half-demon got fired, well...

"What...what did she do?" the girl asks quietly. Her hands were caught between them when Inuyasha hugged her, so the miko starts tracing the outline of his collarbone. The hanyou takes a minute to answer.

"She...let me off with a warning. And took the cost of fixing the door out of my next paycheck." Kagome stifles a sigh; they were already tight on money as it was. She leans her cheek against the boy and works her arms from between their bodies to wrap them around her fiancé. Inuyasha continues after a minute. "It...could have been worse. I could have thrown the door across the room and probably made a dent in the wall, but I caught myself in time. Kitchina knows how much is going on with me right now; I think that's why she let me off so easy. She just told me to fix whatever was bothering me, and to try not to bring my problems to work." Inuyasha sighs and buries his nose in the miko's hair, closing his eyes.

"And she's not the only one. I got into an argument with Suru over my thesis, but he noticed my temper rising and sent me outside to cool off before I damaged anything. At least he knows that I'm a half-demon with a short temper, though, and will stop arguing with me before...something happens," the boy mumbles. Kagome nods and hugs the boy tighter.

Only a handful of people knew who Inuyasha really was. It was safer for everyone that way. Kagome's family, of course; Suru Kioshigan; the miko's friends from high school: Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Hojo, who were married now; the other girl's husbands: Tatiksu and Monori, respectively; and Zurui, who had figured it out on her own.

_That girl is just way too smart for her own good..._ Kagome freezes as another thought pops into her head.

"Inuyasha...neither one of the Kurosaki's know? Do they?" she asks, leaning back to look at the silver-haired boy. He shakes his head.

"No. Isshin is too obsessed with your mother to notice anything out of the ordinary, and Ichigo only met me tonight. I haven't done anything...suspicious, yet, to make them wonder," he answers. The hanyou frowns slightly, remembering when Zurui had figured out he wasn't simply a human.

She and Sota had only been dating a few weeks when he brought her home. Inuyasha and Kagome were there, and they had greeted the girl at the front door, where she immediately latched onto Inuyasha. The girl had followed him around all night, much to...well, everyone's annoyance.

Zurui had looked at the half-demon strangely and pestered him with questions: why is your hair so long? why do you wear that necklace? how did you hear Siore falling down the stairs and get to her in time to catch her?

That was the question that did it. Inuyasha couldn't explain how he'd heard or why he'd gotten to Kagome's mom so fast. Zurui had then demanded to know what was going on, but she wasn't angry or upset about being kept in the dark; she just acted excited. Kagome, Inuyasha, Sota, and Siore finally gave in and the hanyou removed his necklace. The girl stared at the half-demon for a full minute--her eyes wide--before she shook her head and asked if she could touch his ears, a huge smile gracing her face.

Inuyasha had reluctantly agreed and started to blush when the girl mentioned how soft they were. The foursome had then sworn her to secrecy, to which she happily agreed. Zurui hadn't treated the hanyou any different from that day on, except she occasionally wanted to rub his ears. He and Kagome had already figured out that she must be a decendent of Shippo's, and that part of her must still contain demon blood. That's why she figured out that Inuyasha wasn't fully human so fast, while the pair had had to tell everyone else who knew, usually after several months of knowing the boy, and noticing that he was acting weird.

Kagome frowns, thinking. "Inuyasha? Remember how Ichigo looked at you when we came back inside?" The half-demon nods. He had been thinking about that, too.

"Yeah. He...looked spooked. And I didn't see any spider. And he almost ran from the house when Isshin started talking. You don't think...he saw me...do you? I only had the necklace off for two minutes, tops."

Kagome closes her eyes. "I hope not. The way mom and Isshin are going, we're probably going to have to tell them eventually, but not now; it's too soon. If Ichigo saw you earlier..." the miko breaks off and shudders. Way too many bad things could happen if the younger Kurosaki knew that Inuyasha was half-demon.

The girl curses under her breath as a new thought pops into her head. "Damn it! If Ichigo saw you, then he also saw..." Inuyasha's eyes go wide as he realizes what she's talking about. The boy might also know that Kagome was a priestess. The hanyou sighs and draws the girl into a tired hug.

"Ok. We'll just act like nothing is out of the ordinary, and if Ichigo asks, then I guess we'll have to tell him. He seemed pretty reasonable when I talked to him; he should be able to handle this once we explain...everything." Inuyasha runs his fingers up the girl's back in an attempt to calm her. She's shaking again.

"Just what we need; more problems," Kagome mumbles in the boy's chest. Inuyasha smirks.

"Oh. I forgot to tell you..."

"Again?" Kagome asks. She glares at the boy before pushing away from him and rolling onto her back. The hanyou returns her stare before lifting himself up and straddling the girl. She scowls at him, which makes Inuyasha smile again.

"Yes. Since Ichigo doesn't have a job now, I offered him one with the Paleontology Department. He said 'yes,' so he'll be working with me. He's supposed to be at the apartment at 7:30 on Monday." Inuyasha leans down to kiss his fiancé when she stares at him. "What? No comment?" he asks, placing one arm under the girl's shoulders and lifting her up so he can get at her neck. Kagome growls in response.

"No...it's a good idea, actually. I'm surprised you thought of it..."

Inuyasha removes his lips from the girl to glare at her. Kagome smiles innocently. "Very funny," the hanyou says, hesitating a moment before attacking the girl's exposed throat. Kagome giggles and wraps her arms around his head, rubbing his ears gently.

"I guess we're finished with our talk?" she whispers. Inuyasha shrugs his shoulders, but doesn't answer. Kagome smiles to herself before running one hand down the boy's back to his hips, then around to his belly. The hanyou freezes.

"Nope. Definitely not finished," he murmurs, kissing Kagome again.

----------------------------

"Are you positive?" The man stares out the window for a minute longer--watching the nightlife of Tokyo--before turning to his subordinate. The slightly shorter man grins.

"Yes."

The first man turns back to window and watches his reflection smile back.

"Excellent."

* * *

Ok? Lost yet? Good...that makes two of us... Oh, Kag and Inu's talk isn't over yet, but I'll wrap it up in the next chap. :P 


	9. Through The Well x 2

Number 9. Yep. Took awhile. Don't know why. Didn't really end with a cliffy, but hopefully left you wondering anyway. Oh, battle's not over, either. :) Dozo!

* * *

**Knock, knock.**

"Hrmmmm? What?" Kagome asks, lifting herself up off the bed. Inuyasha shivers as the comforter leaves his body and buries his head under a pillow, groaning.

"Rrrrr...is it morning already?"

**Knock, knock.**

"Can I come in sis?"

"Huh?" Kagome yawns and stretches, before making sure she's covered. "Yeah. What, Sota?" she asks, rubbing her eyes. The miko's brother opens her bedroom door and sticks his head in, trying to hide his grin.

"Mom sent me up to get you guys. Weren't you supposed to see your friends...oh, like an hour ago?"

Kagome stares at the boy--uncomprehending--before turning to look at the clock beside her bed. "Aarrrggggghhhhhh! Inuyasha get up! We were supposed to be back at noon and it's way past that now!" she yells, making an attempt to get out of the bed.

The sheets tangle around her legs and the miko slides out of the bed and onto the floor instead. Inuyasha would have found this funny, except that his entire body is now exposed to his soon-to-be brother-in-law, since Kagome took almost all of the covers with her. He yells and instantly moves the pillow to a lower position. Sota starts giggling and quickly closes the door, dodging the other pillow the hanyou is throwing at him.

"Kagome, please try to not to do that again," Inuyasha says, standing up and grabbing the girl by her forearms. The half-demon lifts her straight up in the air, disentangling the girl from the offending bedclothes. She just stares at him.

"So...sorry," she mumbles. Inuyasha rolls his eyes and gives the miko a quick kiss before placing her on her feet. Kagome immediately start running around the room, gathering clothes, while the hanyou throws everything back on the bed. Twenty minutes later, the pair dashes into the kitchen to grab something to eat before they return to the Feudal Era.

"Running late?" Siore asks, handing the two of them a bagel apiece, and two paper bags.

"What's this?" Kagome opens her bag and looks inside. Her mom has packed them each a lunch, since they more-or-less missed breakfast. The girl smiles at her mother. "Thanks, mom," she says, kissing her mom quickly on the cheek before she slides on her tennis shoes. Inuyasha decides to go barefoot.

"We'll be back tonight!" the half-demon yells as they sprint out the backdoor.

"Hey."

"What?"

Kagome grabs Inuyasha's arm as they open the door to the well-house. He stops and looks back at her, slight surprise on his face.

"I just...before we go back... I want to apologize, Inuyasha. For...for going to Ichigo, when I should have...come to you." The miko looks down at her feet as her cheeks warm up. "I... I'm sorry, Inuyasha. We wou..."

"Hey."

Kagome looks up as her fiancé places his hand under her chin. She catches his gaze and feels her heart flutter in her chest.

"It's alright, Kagome. I...did the same thing," Inuyasha whispers. He sees the girl's eyes widen at his confession. "I...talked to Miroku. He kept telling me to talk to you, but I just... I just..."

"Hey."

Kagome brings one hand up to the hanyou's that is cupping her chin, and places the other against his cheek. Inuyasha stares at her with sad eyes. She gives him a small smile.

"I know," she whispers.

The pair simply watches one another, the comforting silence between them all that is needed for each to understand. He pulls her into a hug after a minute.

"In the future..."

"Yeah."

Inuyasha and Kagome continue their silent embrace for several more minutes before the girl swears quietly under her breath.

"I forgot Sango's present. You go on ahead, Inuyasha. I'll just be a minute," Kagome says, shoving her lunch into the hanyou's bewildered arms. "And don't eat it!" she warns before dashing back out the doors to the well-house. She hears deep laughing before a blue light reaches the edges of her vision.

Kagome sprints back to her house and up to her room, mumbling a quick, "Forgot the present!" to her mother and brother, who are still in the kitchen. The miko fumbles through her schoolbag for a minute before she finds the small box, then turns to leave her room. A sudden overwhelming depression hits the girl and she leans kneels on the floor, trying to catch her breath. The sensation is gone as soon as it had come.

_What...was that?_ the miko asks herself, standing shakily to her feet. She takes one step, then feels another sensation, but it's nothing like the first. This one is warm and familiar, and it takes the girl a minute to recognize it as Inuyasha's demonic aura.

_But...but Inuyasha is in Sengoku Jidai..._

Kagome looks around her room, trying to figure out why she would be feeling her fiancé's aura when he wasn't there with her. As the girl's chocolate gaze passes the boy's pack, she sees the air sort of shimmer around it, and steps closer. The miko sees Tetsusaiga's hilt sticking out from behind the bag, and the sword pulses as she continues to watch it.

Kagome frowns as a sickening sense of forboding settles over her. The miko hesitates a few seconds before grabbing the sword and sprinting back to the well-house, where she grabs a dark green bag and the bow and quiver she stored there. She quickly places Sango's box inside the bag and ties it around her hips, then slings the bow and quiver over her shoulders before jumping into the well and traveling back in time...

-------------------

"What about the boy?"

"No. He doesn't have any."

The man leans back in his chair and taps his fingers on the armrest. "That is unfortunate. We needed him." The man reaches forward and picks up a small coin, which he twirls between his fingers. The other man simply waits, staring across the desk from his chair on the other side.

"Are there any others?"

The second man hesitates a moment before speaking. "There is a probable second, but not for awhile. And a possible third. Neither have been tested." He sees his superior purse his lips, thinking.

"Find out. Send..."

"Her?"

"No," the first man responds. "They haven't been tested. We don't know for sure, and we don't want to draw attention." He stops playing with the coin and brings it up to his eyes before flipping it across the desk. The other man catches it. "I will take the second; you check the third. You have until tomorrow night."

The second man nods and places the coin on the desk before leaving the room. The first man stares at the round piece of metal, the light from the desk lamp bouncing off the twin-faced goat on the top of the coin.

---------------------------

Kagome pulls herself out of the well and immediately knows that something is wrong. She can feel an immense demonic aura, and looks toward the sky in the direction of the village. The miko gasps.

Her entire field of vision is darkening rapidly, like a severe storm is coming. Kagome can see the swirling clouds and flashes of lightening while her hair flows around her in the blowing wind, but she knows that this isn't Mother Nature's doing. The girl takes off running, holding Inuyasha's sword tightly in her left hand. She comes to a dead stop just inside the treeline and stares in horror at the scene before her. She reacts instantly, and hopes that the distance won't affect her abilities.

Kagome unslings her bow and uses it to shoot Tetsusaiga like an arrow, surrounding it with light to protect the sword until it reaches Inuyasha. Once the weapon is in the air, the miko reshoulders her bow and recites the chant she uses for her barrier. But it's not going up around her.

Slightly more than one hundred feet from the girl, the black cloud she had seen before is filled with thousands of demons, and it is attacking Shippo, a very pregnant Sango, and her and Miroku's two children. The kitsune is using his fox-fire magic to protect the small group, but Kagome can tell that he won't be able to hold it for much longer.

The girl can see the monk and the half-demon farther down the hill, and knows that they had been distracted by something, which is why they're not with the others. The miko doesn't worry about that right now, and concentrates on her powers. Less than a second later, she sees her barrier engulf the foursome crouching together under a large pine, after which Shippo drops his small shield, and six pairs of eyes turn in Kagome's direction. She tries not to blush.

_Thank Kami_... Miroku thinks, as he and Inuyasha sprint back towards Sango, Shippo, and the two kids. He pales even more than he already is as he watches the demons trying to get through Kagome's barrier, but feels a smile tug at his lips when they fail. He looks to his left, only to see an arm fill his vision as the hanyou knocks both of them to the ground.

"What the...?"

The monk gasps as he notices Tetsusaiga hovering in the spot he had just occupied, a blue glow surrounding the sword. Inuyasha speaks before he has time to think about it.

"Watch where you're aiming!" the boy yells, standing back up before grabbing Miroku by the back of his robes and lifting him to his feet. The monk sees Kagome's eyes flash bright blue and glances at her barrier as bolts of energy arc away from it and into the cloud, obliterating several of the demons.

"I don't think you should make her mad," Miroku mumbles, as Inuyasha grabs his sword and unsheathes it. Tetsusaiga immediately changes from it's rusty form into the large, curved, and very deadly fang that the hoshin hadn't seen in a while. The half-demon ignores his friend and shoves the sheath into his belt before the boys take off running again.

Kagome can feel her power draining from trying to keep the barrier up at this distance. She takes a few steps toward the group, but quickly realizes that she can't move and concentrate at the same time. The miko watches as Inuyasha jumps into the air and releases his _Windscar_, which scatters the demon-cloud. Kagome drops the barrier as Miroku reaches the tree and puts up his own, letting Shippo out first, so that the fox can fight.

"SMASHING TOP!"

The kitsune throws his weapon at a small group of demons that have landed on the ground and are now heading towards Kagome, who had started running toward the others. She skids to a stop in front of them, right before they are destroyed by Shippo's attack. The girl smiles at how much the fox has grown since she first met him, before grabbing the now-small-again top and throwing it back to the demon, like she did with Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga. She then grabs her bow and starts shooting arrows at the cloud that is trying to reform.

"ADAMANT BARRAGE!"

Inuyasha release his diamond attack and smirks as he watches the shards impale several dozen demons, scattering the black formation above them. Some of the youkai land and slither, walk, crawl, or run towards the hanyou, kitsune, and the humans still sheltering under the monk's barrier. Shippo and Inuyasha fight off their respective demons, while Miroku pulls out a handful of sutras from his robes and places them on the ground around his family before using his staff on several of the closer demons.

"Miroku! Let me..."

"You stay there!" the hoshin yells, turning to glare at his wife. Sango scowls and opens her mouth again, but her husband cuts her off. "No, dammit! You stay under that barrier, woman!" Miroku says, while hacking off the head of a lizard-looking demon that was about to bite him. The youkai vanishes in a puff of smoke and the tajiya hugs her son and daughter to her body while continuing to glare daggers at the man standing in front of her.

The half-demon uses his sword to cut his way through the small flock of youkai surrounding him. He manages to destroy most of the demons before hearing a gutteral laugh from behind him, then a higher-pitched yell. Inuyasha turns in time to see Shippo slash through the snake with his claws, flashing the older boy a wide smile before he dashes off in another direction.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?" the hanyou yells. He jumps into the air and slices through a particularly large centipede before landing near the monk and his family. He sees Shippo near the forest where the Bone-Eater's Well is located, using his fox-fire to burn up any demons that get near him. Inuyasha grins at how well the young teenager is fighting before he hears the hoshin answer.

"I don't know!" Miroku yells, as he and Inuyasha stand back-to-back and fight off the demons trying to get past them to Sango and the kids. The hoshin can hear the children crying and their mother trying her best to keep them calm. A loud scream gets the fighters attention, and the boys look around to see where it came from, both of them paling in the process.

Kagome is still separated from the others by a good distance, but she's fought a path away from the trees and is now standing in the open space between the pine and the forest. The girl has run out of arrows and is using her bow to reflect youkai attacks. There is a sickly green worm-like demon on the ground in front of her, it's mouth open wide. The miko is holding her right arm with her left, glaring at the youkai while blood starts to soak her shoulder.

The demon growls and leaps at the miko, who swings her bow and uses the last of her spiritual power to obliterate it. Kagome is kneeling on the ground, trying to catch her breath, when she hears Inuyasha yell her name.

"KAGOME!"

The girl whips her head up at the panic in his voice, frowning as she sees the hanyou stare at something over her head before breaking away from Miroku and speeding towards her. Kagome looks up, her eyes widening as she sees a smaller demon-cloud that has formed and is now almost on top of her. The girl screams again and reacts on instinct, putting her arm above her head...

----------------------

"Hey, Teddy! Give up tha ball--will ya?!"

Sota scowls at his girlfriend before kicking the soccer ball to her. Zurui flashes him a sweet smile as she knocks the black and white orb between her feet a few times before sending it back to him. The boy is so busy brooding that he completely misses the ball and it bounces off a few trees before going through the doors to the well-house.

"Where were you, ace?" the redhead asks, running over to the boy and hugging him from behind. Sota shrugs.

"I _do _have a game tomorrow, you know. I'm the one who needs to practice," the boy mumbles.

"Are you gonna have the ball the whole time though? I know you're good, Sota, but someone will have to pass you the ball eventually," the girl says. "And from that last one, I don't think your ready for passes yet," she says, trying to keep an air of seriousness. The boy turns and glares at her.

"Funny. I was distracted by that name you keep calling me." Sota makes an attempt to walk forward and is stopped by Zurui's weight. He grins to himself before bending forward and lifting his girlfriend onto his back. The girl squeals.

"Sota! Put me down, Sota! Teddy! I'll start telling everyone besides Kagome!" she yells. The boy stops, but puts his arms underneath the girl and lifts her higher instead of dropping her, so that he can stand up.

"You told Kagome that you call me that?! That means Inuyasha knows, too!" he yells, stomping forward toward the well-house. Sota can hear Zurui alternating betwen giggles and gasps. He stops and twirls them in a circle, smiling again when he feels the girl tighten her arms around his neck.

"You're so mean, Sota! Now I'm gonna be dizzy," Zurui says, placing one hand to her head as the Shrine yard spins before her eyes.

"Serves you right," the boy mumbles, stopping to let his girlfriend slide off his back. He turns around and places one arm around her shoulders. "You gonna be okay?" Sota asks, his brow furrowed with worry.

Zurui glares at him for a second before putting her arms back around her boyfriend and kissing Sota passionately. She draws back and smiles at the goofy grin now occupying his face. "Yeah. Let's find your ball so _you_ can practice," she says, taking his hand and leading the boy forward into the wellhouse.

"Do you see it?"

"No. It's too dark."

Sota walks down the steps and looks around the floor surrounding the well. He's on the opposite side from the door when Zurui says suddenly, "There it is!" and points to a spot behind the boy. He turns around and stares at the shadows a moment before he sees the ball and picks it up.

"How in the world did you see that?" the boy asks, tossing the ball back to the girl and walking towards her. A glint of light inside the well catches his eye and Sota stops, leaning over the edge.

"I don't know. What are you looking at?" Zurui asks, twirling the ball on one finger.

"I think Kagome may have left something at the bottom of the well," the boy mumbles. "I can't see what it is, but sis will probably want it later."

Sota lifts himself up onto the edge of the well and flashes his girlfriend a smile before dropping inside of the wooden structure. Zurui watches the space for a few seconds before a bright blue light fills the inside, and the girl has to cover her eyes. She stares at the well as the light slowly fades.

"Sota?" Zurui walks down the stairs and peeks over the edge of the well. It's empty. The girl drops the ball and runs back out of the well-house, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"MRS. HIGURASHI!"

-----------------------

"Ugghhh... Where am I?"

Sota lifts himself up onto his elbows and looks up, shading his eyes against the sunlight streaming into the well.

_Wait a minute...sunlight?_

The boy slowly stands and looks around for the ladder leading up, but sees only vines in its place. _Uh...oh..._

The teenager awkwardly climbs out of the well, and stops to look around the small clearing surrounding him. Sota can feel his heart pounding in his chest.

_I'm...not at home anymore... Am I in the Feudal Era?_

Sota simply stands in one spot for a minute, eyeing the black cloud directly in front of him with concern as it swirls and flashes angrily. Seeing neither his sister or her fiancé, the boy turns to jump back into the well when he unmistakably hears Inuyasha's voice.

"KAGOME!"

Sota takes off running.

---------------

_What? Why aren't the demons...?_

Kagome has her eyes closed, while her left arm is still held protectively over her head. She feels a weight on her forearm, and wonders what it could be, since she's dropped her bow. The girl thinks that she should be demon-chow by now, but Kagome can hear the youkai growling and snarling a few feet away. Wondering what made them stop, the miko slowly opens her eyes, and gasps.

_Oh, my..._

Held on to Kagome's left arm by two silver, metal straps, is an enormous, round, slightly curved shield, glittering ominously, despite the lack of sunlight. The armor is clear on the outside, with a black square at the center. Surrounding the square are six colored spears that run to the edge of the shield: orange, blue, green, red, purple, and yellow.

Kagome stares at the demons on the other side, trying--in vain--to reach the miko. She's wondering how stupid they must be, since none of them are attempting to go _around_ the shield to get to her, when she hears a throaty sound from her left. Kagome turns her head and sees Inuyasha, who has stopped dead in his tracks and is staring open-mouthed at the piece of armor, Tetsusaiga hanging loosely from one hand--supported by the ground. The miko watches him for a few seconds, frowning when he doesn't make a move to help her.

"Hey! You gonna stand there all day?!" she yells.

Inuyasha shifts his amber gaze to the girl and finally snaps out of his astonishment. He raises his sword and aims an attack at the black cloud.

"WINDSCAR!"

Kagome automatically ducks her head as most of the demons are obliterated, but nothing hits, as the shield is still protecting the girl. She hears several close grunts from the hanyou before a strong arm wraps around her waist and lifts her into the air and onto the boy's back.

"What the hell is that?!" Inuyasha yells, as he quickly slices through the stragglers left behind by his attack and starts to head back to the pine tree.

The miko takes her bow from the half-demon and tries to voice her thoughts. "I...I think it's..."

Kagome stops speaking as her breath catches in her throat. She's just seen something. _No...it can't be..._ Inuyasha pales at her next word.

"SOTA!!" the girl screams, as she sees her brother staring at her from the treeline. Standing right in front of him is a pair of large beetles, their pincers clacking menacingly at the boy. Sota tries to backpeddle away from the youkai, but ends up tripping over a branch and falling to the ground. Kagome can feel tears in her eyes and is about to scream again, when she sees a light-brown and red blur fly in between her brother and the two demons.

_Kilala..._

The miko watches as the nekomata pushes the two beetles back, biting and clawing them away from Sota. Kagome sees another blur a few seconds later, and blinks a few times. Her brother is gone.

"There," Inuyasha growls, pointing ahead of them, toward the monk and his family. The girl looks, and can see Shippo--with Sota on his back--heading for the small group. Kagome sighs audiably before slumping onto the hanyou's shoulders.

* * *

There was gonna be a whole 'nother part to the battle, but I decided to save it for the next chap, since it would add another, like, 4 pages. Ok? Let me know what ya'll think... 


	10. Interruptions

Ummmm...I don't think I have anything to say before this one. :( Nope. Dozo!

* * *

"He _what_?"

"He jumped into the well and disappeared, Mrs. Higurashi."

Zurui clenches her fingers tightly around the cup of tea Siore had gotten her, the knuckles of both hands white. The girl had come flying into the older woman's kitchen, screaming at the top of her lungs about blue light in the well, and the fact that her boyfriend had vanished before her eyes.

It had taken Siore a quarter-of-an-hour to calm the girl down long enough to get anything coherent out of her, after which she desperately wished she hadn't. The woman sighs, knowing that she had to explain to the girl where her youngest had gone, and hoping it didn't frighten the girl more.

"Zurui...you know that Inuyasha is half demon, right?" she begins. The red-head nods hesistantly, her face betraying the confusion she felt. What did Inuyasha have to do with this?

"Well, Zurui, there are few other people who know who Inuyasha really is, but there are only four who know where he's actually from," Siore says, staring down into her own teacup. She can almost feel the girl frowning at her.

"I...thought he was from the southern island. I don't remember the town Kagome said..."

The girl stops talking when she sees Siore shaking her head. "No. Inuyasha is from Tokyo... we think."

Zurui shakes her head a little. "You..._think_? What does that mean?"

Siore sighs. "On Kagome's 15th birthday, she was pulled into the well--just as Sota was--and came out in Sengoku Jidai, around the year 1500. That's where she met Inuyasha, and that is where he, my daughter, and my son are right now."

The teenager stares at her boyfriend's mother as if she's lost her mind. "What?!" she yells after a minute.

Siore flinches backward in her chair, the girl's high-pitched voice having hurt her hearing. She rubs her ears before responding.

"Yes, Zurui. The well has some sort of magical ability that allows both Kagome and Inuyasha to travel back and forth from this time to the past." The woman smiles wryly. "And now, apparently, Sota, also."

Siore waits patiently for the girl to accept her explanation, even standing up to retrieve more tea for the two of them. Zurui is pale when she sits back down.

"Sengoku Jidai?" the red-head asks. Siore nods. Zurui swallows, her clenched hands shaking in her lap. "And they'll...be back?" she whispers, her voice trembling. The older woman nods, smiling a little.

"Yes. I imagine that Sota has already found his sister, and they'll return through the well when they finish visiting with Kagome and Inuyasha's friends."

Zurui stares at the Siore blankly for a moment before nodding. She looks down at her tea and speaks quietly.

"I...can't say anything about the well, can I? That would be more dangerous than people finding out about Inuyasha being a half-demon, wouldn't it?"

Siore nods solemnly. "Yes, it would. Other than the kids, only dad and myself know about it, so it is very important that we keep quiet."

The red-head stares at her tea for few more minutes before looking up. Her expression seems to be one of resignation. "I...I'm going to go lie down for awhile, if that's alright," she says, standing.

Siore watches the younger girl walk slowly toward the living room and sighs again. Life was so complicated sometimes.

------------------

"Thanks, uh...Shippo?" the dark-haired teenager says as he shakily steps onto the ground from the demon's back. The fox nods his head and smiles. He's about to speak when a silver blur stops abruptly beside him and a fist connects with the other boy's head.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sota?!" Inuyasha roars, ignoring the pained expression on his targets face. "Don't you know that you would've been killed if Kilala and Shippo hadn't saved your ass!?!"

The rest of the group stares with wide eyes at the very angry hanyou. It's obvious that Inuyasha is only this upset because he cares for the boy. Kagome had scrambled off her fiancé's back when he stopped and is now hugging her brother very tightly while sobbing. Everyone seems to be frozen in place as they wait for Sota to respond, during which Kilala lands beside her mistress and sits down to rest. No one notices that the miko's shield has now disappeared.

"Uh...I...uh...," Sota stutters. He'd never seen Inuyasha like this before, and the half-demon's anger was almost never aimed at him. The younger boy didn't know how to deal with an irate hanyou. Plus, his sister was currently cutting off his air supply, making him light-headed. "Uh..."

"Well?" the half-demon asks impatietly, one eye twitching.

"Uh...I sort of...fell through..."

"_Fell through_?" Kagome growls. The others all glance at the miko, who is now over her sobbing and slowly stands up beside her fiancé. She also glares at her brother when he doesn't answer.

Sota takes a deep breath now that his sister has released him, and is about to tell them what happened, when Miroku interrupts.

"Is there any way we can talk about this later?" he asks, pointing his staff at the two beetles that had almost gotten Sota, which are now heading their way.

Inuyasha swears quietly before grabbing the two siblings and throwing him on his back, while Miroku and Shippo help Sango and the kids onto Kilala before the monk joins them. The group heads down the hill toward the village, noting the increase in the demonic cloud hovering over the huts in the distance.

"What in seven hell's is going on?!" the hanyou asks to no one in particular.

"I don't know," Shippo says, pulling up beside the half-demon and keeping pace with him while Kilala flies over their heads. "But I feel like everything up til now has been a distraction," he says, frowning at the alarmed looks the others give him.

"You know, I think Shippo may be right, guys." The others all turn to look at Sango, who is still trying to calm the two children riding between herself and her husband. "The demons all seemed to be concentrating on myself, Tsuta, and Korogi. Don't you think that's odd, considering I'm really too far along to fight back, and they are just children?" she asks, gesturing to the kids.

Sango gives her friends a few minutes to think about this, their expressions changing from alarm to anger. Kagome speaks next.

"Easy targets," she whispers, rage contorting her voice. "Whoever's doing this knew we would stay and protect you, rather than heading for the village."

"Yes, but what's in the village that someone would be after?" Inuyasha asks. "The _Shikon no Tama_ no longer exists, and no one there holds anything of value."

"I just thought of something."

The adults all turn their heads toward Sota, who had been quietly listening until now. Kagome raises a brow at her brother, waiting for him to speak.

"How did whoever's doing this know that you and Inuyasha would be here today?" He continues when everyone simply stares blankly at him. "I mean, why _today_? If it was tomorrow, neither of you would be here, and..."

"And the village would more easily be taken over," Miroku interrupts, his face set in a scowl. Everyone turns to the monk now, slight confusion on their faces. He sighs.

"If Inuyasha and Kagome weren't here, we...," he says, gesturing to everyone else, "...wouldn't have left the village. We probably would have still been in our huts when the ..._swarm_...attacked, and would probably be trapped there right now." Miroku continues when he sees the still-confused looks of the others. "Whoever's behind this is trying to delay Kagome and Inuyasha. It was only their misfortune that they picked today to attack."

The hanyou and the miko exchange a surprised look before turning back to the hoshin. "What does that mean?" Inuyasha says, frowning. "Are you saying it was simply luck that we came back today?"

Sango nods. "It sure seems like it," she says, shifting to a more comfortable position as the group reaches the edge of the village.

Choas and panic are everywhere. Men, women, and children are running back and forth between the huts, screaming for loved ones or for their lives, if demons are after them. Bodies of humans, livestock, and youkai litter the ground, as well as blood and limbs from the dead, and random debris. Huts are torn to the ground or burning, some of them with people still inside. The group of fighters takes one look at their beloved village and immediately begins to help.

"Sango, stay with Kilala and the kids," Miroku says, sliding off the nekomata's back. The pregnant slayer glares at him but doesn't protest. "Go," the monk whispers to the feline, patting her on the head as he starts to head toward one of the burning huts, where they can hear screaming.

The cat growls and immediately takes off, circling above the huts and staying well-away from any demons. Strangely, none of youkai seems to notice them now.

Shippo follows the hoshin for a little ways before heading in a different direction, toward some small demons that are terrorizing a mother and her child. The kitsune takes care of them before running after some more youkai deeper in the village.

"Sota. I want you to stay as close to Inuyasha as possible," Kagome says, as the siblings hop to the ground. The hanyou frowns.

"I was going to find something to kill," Inuyasha growls, his gaze shifting to something behind the girl. A few seconds later a very large and disgusting bird-demon of some sort disintegrates as the half-demon slices through it with Tetsusaiga. He smirks. Kagome glares.

"He'll be safer with you than me, Inuyasha, and you know mom will kill both of us if something happens to him. I'll stay here and work on putting up a barrier around a few of the huts so people have somewhere they can hide. You can bring Sota back when I get finished," the miko says, seeing a quiver of arrows lying nearby and heading toward it.

The girl comes back a few seconds later, and is also wielding a battered katana. "Here," she says, handing the sword to her brother. Both boys stare.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" the teen asks, holding the weapon as if it might contaminate him. A few drops of blood slide off the end and splatter the ground, and Sota makes a disgusted face.

Kagome rolls her eyes. "Kill something if it gets too close to you," she says, turning away and heading for a group of huts that is still standing. Miroku joins her a few seconds later.

"Well, come on," Inuyasha growls, grabbing the boy's arm and tossing him onto his back again.

--------------------

Ichigo paces back and forth in his living room apartment, his mind going over the strange encounter he'd just had.

_Telephone company? I doubt that..._

A man dressed in a blue uniform, with a short, silvery hair and a creepy grin had been getting on the elevator on his floor when the red-head had gotten off. He said that Ichigo's line would be down for a few minutes while he went back to street level and reset the power box.

Ichigo had asked what was wrong with the line to begin with, to which the uniformed man had replied that a water main had burst a few blocks over, and ruptured the cable supplying the building. The boy had nodded and thanked the man, then proceeded into his apartment.

Twenty minutes later, Ichigo was trying to figure out what was wrong with the converstion.

_For one thing, I don't have a land-line. Just my cell phone..._

_**Maybe he was just telling everyone he ran into...just in case...**_

_Ok, then why didn't the Jidanbo tell me when I passed him downstairs?_

_**Maybe the guard... forgot? **_

_Not likely..._

"What if he was in my apartment?" the boy says out loud. He frowns, wondering where that thought came from and why he was talking to himself.

_After the past few days, maybe I'm just starting to lose it..._

Frowning again, Ichigo wanders through the rooms, his eyes going over all of his belongings. Nothing seems to be missing.

_Strange..._

The boy walks to his kitchen and grabs a cold soda from the fridge before remembering that he was supposed to meet Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad in half-an-hour for a guys night out.

Ichigo grins to himself, glad that some things hadn't changed, at least.

------------------------

"Here! Everyone in here!"

Miroku waves people past the break in the sutras that forms a barrier covering the land around three huts. Kagome stands in the center, her eyes closed while she wordlessly mouths a silent incantation, Tsuta, Korogi, and Kilala beside her. Sango is ushering the people who are coming through into the huts themselves.

"Where are Inuyasha and Sota?" Shippo asks, coming to a sliding stop in front of the monk. The kitsune is covered with dirt, grime, blood, and small injuries of his own, but seems to be doing fine otherwise. Miroku shakes his head.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them since we entered the village."

A loud shout, followed by what sounds like an explosion gets their attention, and the boys quickly run around the side of the barrier, stopping dead in their tracks at what they see.

Inuyasha and Sota are facing four very large trolls, a fifth lying several feet behind the others, as the hanyou had hit it with his _Windscar_ a minute before. The teen looks like he's just seen a ghost, while the half-demon just looks pissed.

"You bastards! Get the hell away from me!" Inuyasha yells, darting forward to slice-and-dice the closest ugly. He slashes three times, then smirks and runs back to Sota, watching the demon crumble to dust.

"That...was really good, Inuyasha," the boy mumbles, grabbing onto the hanyou's shirt so that he doesn't fall over. Inuyasha gives him a confused look.

"What's wrong with you, kid? This isn't even a challenge."

"Something...is very odd about this," Shippo says, watching Inuyasha use his _Windscar_ again to take out another troll. Miroku nods.

"I know. They're...they're not going after them, Shippo," the monk says, frowning at the lack of action on the remaining troll's parts. He watches them for a few minutes, his dark eyes narrowed. The hoshin suddenly gasps and turns back to the barrier, his eyes widening in shock.

"Inuyasha!" he yells, before running back to the huts.

The half-demon turns when he hears his name, seeing Miroku and Shippo sprinting away. He raises his eyes to the curve of blue over the houses, and feels his heart skip a beat. The barrier was flickering. That meant one thing.

Kagome was in trouble.

Swearing to himself, the boy grabs Sota and hauls him onto his back again before heading for the others. A large hand suddenly flies out of nowhere, and Inuyasha barely dodges out of the way before he and the teen get splatted.

Spinning around, the hanyou glares and bares his fangs at the trolls, who suddenly seem to have come alive. Though there are only two remaining, the demons are grinning evilly and edging their way between the boys and the barrier. Inuyasha growls.

_Oh, hell __no..._

"Hang on tight, Sota," he whispers, feeling the boy drop his katana and tighten his arms around his neck. Inuyasha raises Tetsusaiga and sends his diamond attack at the two youkai.

"ADAMANT BARRAGE!"

The half-demon takes off running as soon at the attack hits, dashing between the ugly creatures that are now howling in pain at the giant shards sticking out of their bodies. Inuyasha dodges the aimless blows that are coming his way and quickly slashes one troll in the chest before using it's head as a springboard. He bounces high into the air and drives Tetsusaiga into the shoulder of the other demon, cutting diagonally all the way to the ground.

Smirking to himself, Inuyasha watches the two youkai drifting away on the wind before he heads toward the barrier.

Rounding the last hut, Inuyasha stops abruptly, a strangled cry escaping his throat. Sota glances over his shoulder and pales, his eyes bugging out slightly. The woman speaks in a deadly tone.

"Drop the sword, half-demon. Or your woman dies."

-------------------

"Thank you, ma'am. For letting me use your phone. I used my spare last week. Guess I need to get a whole new set, huh?"

Siore smiles at the dark-haired man standing on her porch, grinning sheepishly at her, his glasses skewed ever-so-slightly over soft eyes.

"No problem. Uh... What did you say your name was again?"

"Kudakero, ma'am," the man says, bowing.

Siore smiles again before doing the same, fighting to hide her unease. _Something is off..._

Before the woman can think too much about it, Zurui walks up beside her, yawning.

"Siore? Is...? Oh, hello," the girl says, smiling sleepily at the visitor. The man grins.

"Hello. Your daughter?" he asks, tilting his head slightly toward Siore. She smiles again, and raises one brow.

"Not yet...," she replies, laughing lightly when Zurui blushes.

"I'm going to get something to drink," the girl mumbles, bowing politely before she heads into the kitchen. "It was nice to meet you," she calls back.

The man smiles again, then frowns a little. "Well, Miss, I guess I'll just go back to my car and wait for the tow-truck," he says, walking down a few stairs. "Thanks again!"

Siore waves back, then slowly closes her front door and promptly locks it.

_Something about that man..._

She shivers, then rubs her arms where goosebumps were starting to rise. Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling, Siore follows the red-head into the other room.

* * *

Oh, uh...Obviously, this story is starting to look like a crossover. It wasn't supposed to be, but...oh, well. I've fallen in love with _Bleach_, so sue me. shrug Anyways, for the Ichigo fans like me :) you can probably guess who certain people are. ;P Ummm...that's all!


	11. Recognition

Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! I totally didn't realize how long it'd been since I updated this fic. I checked the date the other day, and about fell off the couch. I feel so bad! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me... (hangs head in shame) I can grovel more if anyone needs me to... Anyone? Ok, on with the story! (I hope!)_

* * *

_

Kagome... 

Inuyasha tightens his hands on the hilt of his sword, a low growl leaving his throat as he glares at the woman holding his fiancé. The demon has very short black hair, and is wearing a dark-red, single-piece robe, similar to how his own robe looked when Kagome wore it in Togenkyo. Her feet are bare and there is a staff crossing her back.

The hanyou can see Kagome slowly turning red, a cross between fear and anger on her face as she struggles to keep the barrier behind her and the demon up. Inuyasha glances quickly past the pair to see Shippo lying flat on the ground--obviously knocked out--what looks like a burn on one side of his face. Sango is kneeling beside Miroku, helping the strangely confused monk to sit up, while Tsuta and Korogi continue to cry in the arms of the village's midwife. Inuyasha frowns quickly to himself.

_What happened? And...where's Kilala?_

The half-demon narrows his eyes as the woman speaks again, her sweet-sounding voice grating harshly on the boy's nerves.

"Did you not hear me..._Inuyasha?_ I said, drop your sword or your woman will die," the red-robed demon says, pressing the point of her dagger into Kagome's throat.

Inuyasha sees the miko close her eyes as a trickle of blood starts down her neck, the blue of the barrier flickering behind her. He growls again before frustratingly throwing Tetsusaiga to the ground, the sword quickly reverting to it's smaller form.

"Thank you," the woman says, grinning wickedly as she releases Kagome's arm. The demon then smacks the priestess hard enough across the face to knock her unconscious and send her flying several feet away.

Without realizing what he's doing, Inuyasha sprints forward and grabs the woman by her own neck, lifting her off the ground and barely feeling the pain as her dagger slides into his chest, between his ribs. Sota--who had fallen off his back when the hanyou had run forward--quickly stands and runs over to his sister. Neither boy notices that the miko's barrier has been replaced by Miroku's, though it is unsteady while the monk tries to get his bearings.

"You evil..."

Inuyasha's growled words are cut off as he feels a burning pain slowly spreading from his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. He narrows his eyes at the demon, who is grinning at him, despite her position.

"This is no ordinary blade..._Inuyasha. _It was made with _my father's_ permission."

The hanyou frowns slightly, something in the woman's tone not settling well with him. It's now that the boy notices the light honey-colored gaze staring back at him.

"What do you want?" he hisses, tightening his hold on her neck. "There's nothing of value here. You..."

Inuyasha's words are cut off as he feels a slight tickling on his feet. He quickly glances downward, becoming slightly dizzy as he gazes at his blood-soaked shirt and jeans.

"Oh...I doubt that," the woman says, quickly bringing her free hand up and grabbing the half-demon's wrist--twisting it so that Inuyasha releases his hold on her.

The boy stares in shock as the demon forcibly removes his grip, then yanks the dagger from his chest and brings that fist up to connect with his jaw. Inuyasha doesn't even make any sound as he goes flying backward, smashing through the wall of one of the few huts that is still standing.

The woman grins, turning back toward the barrier and the panting monk she can see chanting behind it, the pregnant woman holding him up.

"Where is the grave?" she asks, walking forward. She curses silently when the barrier rejects her. "Very well. I will just use the miko then," she says, turning toward the still-unconscious Kagome and a frightened Sota. A low growl to her right gets her attention.

"I don't...think so," Inuyasha says, bending to grab his sword as he leans against an angry Kilala.

The demon blinks a few times, grinning again when she sees the hanyou struggling to stay upright. "Having trouble..._Inuyasha_? And just what do you...?"

The demon's question is cut off as..._something_ goes flying past her head, just grazing her left cheek. She turns, glaring at the young boy now standing in front of the siblings, his chained weapon swinging in one hand.

"And what do you plan to do, demon sla..."

The woman's eyes narrow as something like a cold wind flows over her, though there is no breeze. She quickly spins around, her light eyes narrowing angrily as she sees the person standing behind her. The demon's amber gaze sweeps slowly over the scene before coming to rest on the hanyou.

"You are bleeding, Inuyasha."

-------------------

"Hey, Ichigo! Check out those hotties over there!"

The red-head cringes as his light-haired friend nods to a place behind their group, giving him a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows in the process. Ichigo doesn't even bother to turn his head.

"_No_," he says, poking at some of the stray pieces of rice on his plate. Ichigo sets his fork down, laying his head back to rest on the top of their booth.

"But..._Ichigo_..."

"Leave him alone, Keigo. You know he and..."

Chad breaks off suddenly, glancing sideways at his friend--a slight reddish tint to his dark cheeks.

"S...sorry, Ichigo. I know it must still be hard to talk about her," the tall brunette says, reaching forward and taking a sip from his glass. "She..."

"Let's just talk about something else--ok?" Ichigo asks, bringing his head forward and placing it in his palms.

The other three boys watch their friend in awkward silence for several minutes, before Mizuiro quietly suggests a change in topic.

"Uh...how is the job hunting going, Ichigo?" the black-haired boy says, pushing a strand out of his eyes. "Have any other companies...?"

"No," Ichigo mumbles, raising his eyes to the others. "None of the other publishing companies have any openings now, but I _did_ manage to get an offer. For the University."

"The University?" Chad asks, tilting his head in slight confusion when Ichigo nods. "How did you get a job there?"

"And doing _what, _exactly?" Keigo adds, frowning at the red-head. "I thought your degree was in..."

"English and Communications," Ichigo says, nodding again. "Remember the girl in our Lit class Freshman year? Kagome?"

"The...long-haired brunette? With the dark eyes that you could just get lost in?" Keigo asks, a slightly dreamy look coming onto his face.

Ichigo rolls his eyes before responding. "Yeah; that's her. Well, I've had more than just that one class with her, since she's also an English major. Kagome..."

"Doesn't she have a fiancé?" Mizuiro asks, interrupting.

"Yeah," Chad says, before Ichigo can speak again. "I had a Sociology elective with her; there was a guy that always waited for her after class. Didn't smile much..."

"That would be Inuyasha," Ichigo says, a slightly strained tone in his voice. "Anyway, I went to dinner at her mom's place last night..."

"Oh, yeah. Your dad is dating her mom--isn't he? Does Kagome look like her mother?"

The red-head fists his hands under the table, silently threatening the shorter boy across the table. Mizuiro simply gives him an innocent look.

"Siore's hair isn't as long, but yes, Kagome looks like her mother," Ichigo says, rushing through his next words so that he doesn't get interrupted. "_Anyway_, Inuyasha and I ended up talking, and I told him about not having a job. He's a graduate in the Paleontology Department; said that the guy who edited their research papers had retired, and they were looking for someone for the position. I start Monday."

The other three boys sit in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, each considering the red-head's words.

"This..._Inuyasha_? He offered you a job? Just like that?"

Ichigo glances to the burly-looking man sitting on his left, Chad's overly long bangs hiding most of his face. The red-head shrugs.

"Yep. If I take the position, it also helps him out, as the staff and grads can focus on their research. It's not a publishing company, but..."

"Kurosaki? Ichigo Kurosaki?"

The four boys turn their heads as a pretty, dark-haired hostess walks up to the booth, frowning slightly at the red-head. Ichigo nods, his expression reflecting the girl's.

"There's...a phone call for you, Mr. Kurosaki," she says, a confused look on her face as she turns back to the wait station near the front of the restaurant. Ichigo gives his friends a bewildered glance before sliding out of the booth and following the girl.

"Did they say who it was?" the boy asks, trying to think of anyone who might need to get in touch with him. The only one who knew where he had gone was his father, but Isshin was supposed to be over at Siore's again.

"No," the waitress says, shaking her head. "He just asked me to look for a young man with...with..."

The girl stops, glancing quickly at the boy red hair, a similar blush creeping onto her cheeks. Ichigo sighs.

"It does stand out--doesn't it?" the boy says wryly.

The hostess gives Ichigo a small smile before turning to the phone sitting on a lower shelf of the station, handing him the receiver before pressing a blinking button. She picks up a few menus and walks a couple to their table to give Ichigo some privacy.

"Hello?" Ichigo says, turning to the glass door separating the lobby from the inside, his eyes widening as the person on the other end speaks.

-------------------------

Inuyasha narrows his eyes at his brother and breathes in deeply a few times before he collapses, slumping onto the ground beside the nekomata, the pool of blood around his body continuing to widen.

Sesshomaru watches him for a few seconds before turning back to the demoness. He doesn't speak, but simply continues to stare at the woman, his eyes betraying nothing.

"_Sesshomaru_," she finally seethes, her clawed hands clenched in anger.

The demon lord raises one refined brow, but still doesn't speak. Instead, the youkai glances past the dark-haired woman, staring at something behind her. The demoness turns in time to see a blue ball of light hit her squarely in the chest, knocking her backwards into the air with a quiet yelp.

As the woman falls to the ground in front of the demon-lord, Kagome takes a few seconds to look around, noticing that all of the remaining youkai have either been taken care of--courtesy of Kilala, Kohaku, and Sesshomaru--or run away, after seeing their leader go down. The miko sees Miroku slowly lower the barrier, slumping back against Sango as a wave of exhaustion hits him.

The slayer's younger brother takes his leave of the siblings and walks over to Shippo, bending down and placing one hand to the demon's cheek.

"It _is_ a burn, but it doesn't look too bad. Should heal within a few days. I don't know how she could have knocked Shippo out, though..."

"She threw something at them," Sango says, nodding her head toward the kitsune, then at her husband. "Shippo took the brunt of it; knocked him unconscious and made Miroku confused as hell..." The tajiya glances down at the monk, pushing his bangs to the side as the boy still tries to get his bearings, shaking his head every few seconds.

Kagome, meanwhile, has slowly raises herself to her knees, and is leaning sideways against her brother as she brings one hand to her neck. The miko gingerly touches the small wound that is still bleeding freely, then moves her fingers up to the bruise forming on her cheek, and the swelling making it hard to see out of that eye.

"Take me...to Inuyasha," the girl mumbles, glancing in rage at the woman lying unconscious at Sesshomaru's feet.

Sota nods hesitantly, helping his sister to stand and walk slowly over to the hanyou. Kagome kneels beside her fiancé, trailing her fingers slowly over one cheek while Inuyasha watches her in silence--his breathing coming in gasps as the dark red liquid continues to flow out of the wound in his chest.

"Bring me the dagger," she says, looking up at Kohaku.

The slayer nods and heads over to Sesshomaru, who is watching the scene in silence. He glances down at the demoness before him, his gaze slowly hardening as he looks at her.

"_Kuroshi._"

Kohaku stares in shock as the demon-lord grabs his wrist, stopping him from picking up the weapon.

"Do not...touch the blade," the youkai says, his eyes narrowing before he releases the boy, seizing the weapon himself and walking over to the priestess.

Kagome and Sota stare with wide eyes as Sesshomaru kneels beside his brother, lying the weapon on the ground beside him.

"It was foolish, Inuyasha, to be injured by The Black Blade of Death."

* * *

I'm gonna start on the next chap, cause I still feel bad about this one being late. And kinda short. Is Inu in trouble, do you think? ;) 


	12. Movement

#12. This chap didn't take that long; I don't know why. Lots of stuff going on. I'm gonna have to start writing this plot down, b/c I think it's turning out to be even more complicated than what I thought. ??? Oh, well. Enjoy!

* * *

Kagome fights the panic threatening to form in her chest at the demon-lord's words. "Black Blade...of Death?" she whispers, glancing down at her fiancé, who's eyes have also gone wide.

Inuyasha slowly rolls onto his back, struggling to breath, a slight gurgling sound coming from his throat. He grabs Kagome's hand when she places it beside his cheek, gripping her fingers tightly.

"Yes," Sesshomaru says, also reaching his hand toward his brother, but pressing down on hard on the wound in his chest.

The hanyou gasps in pain, his body shuddering as he grabs onto the other demon's wrist and tries desperately to pry Sesshomaru's hand off.

"We have to stop the bleeding, Inuyasha," Kagome says, realizing what the youkai was trying to do, but feeling her heart stop at the tears forming in the boy's eyes. Sesshomaru slowly brings his gaze up to the miko.

"You cannot stop the bleeding. The Blade does not allow it's wounds to heal," he says, his brow furrowing as Kagome and Sota gasp, the girl's other hand moving up to the small would on her neck--which is still bleeding freely.

Sesshomaru follows her movements before dropping his eyes back to the half-demon, slowly removing his hand and watching Inuyasha's blood slide off his claws, a low growl escaping the youkai's throat as he inhales the tangy scent.

"Is there any way to counteract the weapon's power?"

The three kneeling on the ground turn their heads to stare at the young girl standing beside them, a frown on her face. Rin shoulders her bow, bending down beside Inuyasha and laying her palm on the boy's forehead.

"He's...cool," she says, frowning again, looking back to the demon-lord.

Sesshomaru tries to hold back the grimace on his face, but only slightly succeeds. "There... is a possibility," he says, grabbing the Blade before standing and walking back over to the demoness. He stares at her with an almost disgusted look on his face before bending and picking her up, throwing the woman over his shoulder. Glancing back at Rin and Kohaku, the demon heads quickly out of the village.

"Find a way to slow the bleeding," Kohaku says, glancing quickly at Inuyasha before nodding at Rin and Kilala, the three of them heading after the demons.

"Wait! Do...you know who she is?" Kagome manages to ask, a frown crossing her face as the pair exchanges an anxious glance. Rin stops, turning to whisper to the worried priestess.

"Sesshomaru's daughter."

------------------------

Ichigo slows his steps, only just keeping himself from running outright to the Higurashi Shrine. His father's call had severely unnerved the boy.

_...missing...Siore's hysterical...come quickly..._

The red-head hadn't even bothered to finish his dinner before telling his friends that he needed to go. They had--of course--asked what was wrong, but Ichigo didn't have time to explain, nor did he think they needed to know. He had just ended up lying and saying that Isshin needed to see him right away. Now Ichigo was fighting the fear rising in his chest.

_What...would they want with...?_

The boy stops his thoughts as he comes to the bottom of the stairs to the Shrine, taking the steps three at a time. He quickly crosses the courtyard, hurrying up the steps to the house and not even bothering to knock before he opens the door and strides inside.

"Dad? Siore? Zurui?"

Ichigo frowns when he doesn't get an answer, glancing quickly into the living room before turning the other way and heading through the dining room and into the kitchen. He stops in the middle of the floor, panicking at the fact that no one seems to be home. A thump from directly above him gets the boy's attention, and Ichigo looks up, frowning.

"Let me go, you arrogant...!"

Ichigo scowls as he hears his father yell, the sound of a punch being landed immediately following Isshin's shout.

"Shut up, fool! Where is she? We know you've..."

The red-head doesn't wait any longer, quickly looking around the kitchen for any kind of weapon. He curses under his breath when he can't find anything more useful than a metal pan, but quicky changes his mind when he grabs the handle and realizes how heavy it is.

Smiling grimly at the thought of what could happen if he should land a blow on his opponent's head, Ichigo quietly exits the kitchen, almost tiptoeing through the dining room and peaking around the corner to the stairs.

When he doesn't hear anything, the red-head edges up the inside of the steps, keeping as close to the wall as he can and holding the pan tightly in his fingers.

_I hope there's only one..._

Ichigo momentarily closes his eyes when he reaches the top, suddenly remembering that the other voice had said 'we' a few minutes ago. He takes a deep breath, willing his fast-beating heart to slow in the event that someone might be able to hear it. He slides his shoes carefully across the carpet in the hall--toward the door cracked a little at the end, through which he can hear a different voice now yelling.

"Where is she, you dumb bastard?"

Ichigo cringes as a dull thump reaches his ears. Someone--likely his father--just got kicked in what was probably the stomach.

"Where is the girl? We know she was here. What...?"

"Please! Don't hurt him anymore! Kago..."

"Shut up, _bit_..."

Ichigo feels a deep rage flowing through his chest at what that man was daring to call Siore--in front of Isshin, no less. Clenching the handle of the pan tightly, the red-head bolts forward, kicking the door as hard as he can, sure that he's knocked it off his hinges.

His eyes widen for a moment when three men stare at him with equally shocked expressions, while his father lies on the floor between them, holding his stomach. Ichigo can see small blood splatters under Isshin's head, and Siore sitting on Sota's bed, a bruise starting to form on her cheek where one of the men had slapped her.

The red-head's blood boils.

_You...bastards..._

Ichigo doesn't wait any longer, but immediately jumps forward, his free fist connecting with the closest man's face while the pan in his other finds a target on that side. Ignoring the scream that results from that hit, the boy lunges for the last man, grabbing him around the waist and slamming both of them into the doors to Sota's closet.

Ichigo is instantly on his knees, throwing punches at the man's face for several seconds before a hand on his shoulder wrenches him away, tossing him into the bedroom door before the boy himself is having to block attacks.

The red-head struggles, trying to throw the man off when a horrible cracking sound and a muffled yell gets both their attentions. Ichigo's brown eyes widen when he sees a baseball bat come out of nowhere, catching the man sitting on top of him on the shoulders and neck, knocking him off the boy.

"S...Sota?" Siore whispers, sliding off her son's bed to the floor and staring with wide eyes at her youngest, who is holding the wooden object over one shoulder while he glances quickly around the room.

Isshin--who had recovered enough to fight--is now sitting on the man Ichigo had hit with his pan, his arms pinned behind him while the man's nose bleeds onto the light carpet.

The other two men--victims of Sota's bat--are unconscious; one in the closet, one in the doorway. The dark-headed boy--sensing no more danger--drops his weapon and walks quickly to his mother, pulling her to her feet.

"Inuyasha's Robe, mom. Where is it?"

Siore stares, wondering why in the world her son was asking about the hanyou's clothing. "Wh...what?" she asks, frowning in confusion.

"I don't have time, mom. Inuyasha's dying; where is the Robe of the Fire-Rat?" he asks, slightly shaking his mother, a panicked look behind his determined eyes.

Siore stares for another second before seeming to come back to herself. "In...the laundry room. Kagome asked if..."

The woman doesn't even finish her sentence before the boy darts out of the room, bounding down the stairs. The trio hears quiet rummaging, before the back door slams and silence fills the house.

----------------------

"Do you think it will work, Kagome?"

The miko blinks several times--trying to get rid of the tears in her eyes. Inuyasha was leaning against her, breathing shallowly, his eyes closed. Kagome brings her free hand to his deathly pale face--gently running her fingers across his cheek--trying to keep herself from panicking. She doesn't look at the slayer as she shakes her head.

"I...don't know," she whispers, her voice catching. The girl doesn't say anymore, choosing instead to concentrate on what she was doing. She whispers to the boy when Sango walks away, her voice strained.

"Hold on, baby. Just hold on," she says, kissing his brow lightly and trying to smile when Inuyasha's eyes flutter open.

The boy stares blankly at her for a moment before closing his eyes again, tightening his hand a little on the sword at his side. Kagome feels her tears start again.

Sango--fighting back her own sobs--walks a few feet away, to the place where the next hut used to stand, to check on her husband and Shippo, who had woken up a few minutes ago. She glances behind her, watching the small orb on the hanyou's chest turn a dark purple as his blood fills it from the other side.

"I can't believe that's working," Miroku mumbles, before shaking his head for the hundredth time. He slowly draws his eyes away from the pair, dipping a cloth in a bowl of a slightly green substance before carefully applying it to Shippo's cheek.

"What was in that powder?" the kitsune asks, wincing as the muscles in his face move underneath the burn. He brings one claw up, tentatively touching the wound before thinking better of it.

"I don't know. I think some of it's still on the ground over there, but we need to figure out how to help Inuyasha first," Sango says, slowly bending down and taking the cloth from Miroku.

"How long can Kagome keep that up?" Shippo asks, closing his eyes as a sudden wave of nausea hits him. The fox slumps sideways into the monk, holding his head and trying not to be sick.

"Not...indefinitely," Miroku says, quickly moving away from the demon so that he's out of range. The movement makes his own head swim, and the hoshin stops, trying to get his vision back into focus.

"Kagome was pierced with the blade, too, remember? It's not life-threatening yet, but if Sesshomaru doesn't return soon, we could lose both..."

Sango stops, biting her tongue at what she was about to say. Miroku places one hand on her shoulder, partly to steady himself and partly to comfort his wife.

"Sesshomaru will be back as soon as he can help Inuyasha."

"But...he's only got a few hours, at the most. Even if Kagome's idea works, that still doesn't give..."

The slayer breaks off suddenly, clutching her stomach and bowing her head in pain while she takes gasping breaths. Miroku, and Shippo--who has temporarily conquered his nausea--give the girl anxious looks, worried that she had somehow been injured in the battle. A quiet curse from Kagome gets their attention.

"Her water broke," the miko says dully, wondering just how much more hell they could possibly fit into this day.

--------------------

"Let me go, you morons! Let me go!"

"Shut up, girl. Before I have to make you," the man growls, tightening his grip on Zurui's arm. His partner on the other side grins, making a shudder run down the girl's spine.

_What...do they want with me? _

Zurui bites back the urge to yell again, choosing instead to try to figure out where she was. The house was large and well-furnished--therefore, it obviously belonged to someone with a lot of money. Or access to a lot of money.

The girl hadn't been able to see where the men had taken her, as she had been unconscious for most of her ride in the van--waking up when they were only minutes from the house, which was not in the city. Zurui had heard a distant train blow it's horn, and could smell sea air when she was dragged from the vehicle, leading her to conclude that she was somewhere north of Tokyo, since the train lines on the other side of the city went inland.

The girl hadn't been able to see the outside of the house, since the windows in the back of the van were blacked out, and the doors weren't opened until they had entered the 6-car garage.

_You don't see that often_... she had thought, kicking one of her attackers in the groin and elbowing another before a third had grabbed her from behind. Zurui had struggled until the first man had threatened Sota.

"We found you; we know where he lives," he had said, smirking. That had quieted the girl for about five minutes, until she had seen their guns. Then the red-head had started to panic and struggle again.

Zurui glares at the men, vowing to find a way to punish them as soon as she could get free. A picture of Inuyasha flashes in her head, and the girl smiles evilly to herself, wondering what an angry hanyou would do to these humans when he found out they had kidnapped her.

Almost immediately after, an image of Siore pops into her head, and the girl's face falls.

_I went back in for a glass of water...and never came back... Siore must be hysterical by now..._

The girl stifles a growl, her mind thinking of ways to maim these men who had drugged her and taken her away against her will. Just before she decides to yell some more, the men stop in front of a pair of oak doors, leading to a study, or possibly a library. The man on her left knocks, then slowly turns the handle and leads her into the room when a muffled 'Enter' sounds from the other side.

Zurui blinks, trying to adjust to the darker light than what had been in the wide hall they had just left, noticing that the guy with the creepy smile was staying outside. Unaware that she had been tense because of the man's closeness to her, the girl relaxes some, slightly surprised when the other man's grip on her arm loosens a little.

Turning her head and frowning at him, Zurui finds herself being walked farther into the room, realizing that it is both an study _and_ a library. The girl stares in awe at the rows of books lining the shelves built into the walls, only noticing the two men at the far side of the room at the last minute.

The red-head tilts her head, narrowing her eyes at yet another man with a creepy smile, but refusing to let him scare her. Shifting her gaze to the back of the man staring out of a tall window, Zurui immediately knows that he is the one who had ordered her kidnapping.

She glares, intending to tell the man just where he could go, when he suddenly turns around, and Zurui gets a shock instead.

"Welcome, Zurui," he says, smiling at the stunned expression on the girl's face.

* * *

Uh...I had, like four things to put down here, and I don't remember any of them... Oh, there _are_ other people in the village, which you'll see in the next chap. Uh...three more... maybe I'll remember them before the next chap. :) 


	13. Familiarity

Urg...ok... Here's #13. Does anybody know why the breaks in the story have all been taken out? If I have to go back and fix all of those...I am going to be _very_ upset. I went back to check something and was like, 'What the heck!' Anyways...ok, now I'm pissed. I've tried every way I can think of to signify scene changes and the stupid site won't let me do any of them! How the hell are we supposed...rrgghh... Ok, a scene change is shown by '(change)', cause apparently that's the only way to do it. What the hell... I go away for a week... Sorry I'm ranting, but I am not amused by this. I need a drink now... Anyways, sorry this took so long, guys. Trying to move and all that. I was without internet for like, 5 days. I wasn't amused. Like now. Little more plot development. Hopefully. And hopefully I know what I'm doing, also. Too much to remember... Uh...dozo!

* * *

"Kagome!"

The young miko glances up, her panic and fear allowed a brief reprieve as she sees Sota running toward her from the edge of the village, a pair of burly farmers on either side of him. The boy has Inuyasha's bright red robe held tightly in his arms.

Kagome bends her head over the hanyou lying against her, kissing his brow as she strokes his cool cheek with the backs of her fingers, the dark purple orb on the hanyou's chest swirling as Inuyasha continues to breathe shallowly. The girl can still hear the gurgle coming from the boy's lungs.

"Sota's got your robe," she whispers, trying to smile at her fiancé when his eyes flutter open. The girl feels her own start to water at the pain in Inuyasha's golden eyes, and the slight blankness starting to come over them.

"Don't you dare give up," Kagome says almost angrily, gripping Inuyasha's jaw in her hand and tilting his face toward her.

The boy closes his eyes again as his fiancé kisses him full on the mouth, waiting until he responds weakly before breaking away. She feels a genuine smile briefly cross her lips when she sees the slightest hint of pink on the half-demon's cheeks.

"We still have two weeks alone on the mainland--remember?"

Kagome utters a quiet laugh against the boy's bangs when Inuyasha's blush darkens a shade, kissing him again as her brother draws level with her friends.

"What's going on?" Sota asks, the anxiety on his young face increasing when he sees Shippo pacing back and forth in front of the doorway to one of the three huts that's still standing, and Miroku sitting cross-legged on one side, his violet eyes wide and almost frightened. The monk visibly jumps when a muffled yell comes from the dwelling.

"Sango's in labor," the kitsune says bluntly, running his hands through his bangs in nervous distractment. "Maneja--the village's midwife--and Nasake--our doctor--are with her, but she's over a month early."

Sota pales as he receives the news, simply standing in place as he tries to digest this information. His sister's voice brings him back to the moment.

"Sango and the baby should be okay--as long as nothing goes wrong during the birth," the miko says softly, glancing at the two younger boys. "Tsuta and Korogi each took more than twelve hours to arrive, and they were both at least a week early."

Shippo and Sota exchange a slightly nervous glance, but seem to relax a little when Kagome nods, confirming her words. The teen quickly remembers why he's there, and hands over Inuyasha's robe, slowly laying it beside his sister and brother-to-be, along with several knives of different sizes, and three plastic bottles.

"Get the doctor, Sota. Shippo...I need you to...hold him," the miko says, almost choking on her words.

As Kagome's brother heads over to the hut, the young fox demon approaches the betrothed pair apprehensively.

"What do you mean, 'hold him' ?" he asks, as Kagome removes her arms from the hanyou and gently lays his head and shoulders on the ground, moving to his left side. She keeps the small barrier on his chest as she moves, and her dark eyes on Inuyasha's light ones.

"Get behind Inuyasha and hold him like I was, but make sure you've got his arms," the girl replies, her low voice now sounding almost indifferent.

Shippo glances from the miko to the half-demon and back. He can see that Kagome's trying very hard to keep herself together, but he doesn't know why.

"What are you going to do?" the fox asks, kneeling behind the other boy and lifting Inuyasha's torso onto his knees. He grabs each of his arms, crossing them over the hanyou's chest before wrapping his own around his friend.

"Something that I need to keep Inuyasha still for," Kagome answers, not bothering to hide a shiver. She tenses as the doctor and Sota walk up behind her.

"Sango's still got awhile to go. Her contractions are more than 10 minutes apart, so she should be fine for the moment, as long as we keep her calm. Maneja's going to stay with her."

The dark-haired doctor stares down at the trio for a moment, something like a grimace on his face as he takes in Inuyasha's blood soaked shirt and jeans. "I...I've never done anything like this before," Nasake says, dropping to the ground and setting a small bag beside him.

Kagome glances at the young doctor, about the same age as herself and her friends. The short, very skinny man is wearing light blue hakamas, patterned with darker blue tree-looking objects, and a light green haori, open over a tan kosodi. His shoulder-length hair is pulled into a low ponytail, and his blue eyes are shadowed with concern.

"Neither have I, but we don't really have a choice. We have to stop Inuyasha from bleeding until Sesshomaru returns," Kagome says, returning her gaze to her fiancé and feeling her eyes water at the trust in the boy's golden eyes. She forces herself to swallow the lump in her throat before whispering to the hanyou.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It...it's going to hurt."

(_change)_

Ichigo takes a deep breath, shaking his head in anger as he paces back and forth in Sota's bedroom.

"A..._miko_?" he asks again, turning to stare at the woman sitting on the bed.

Siore sighs, moving an icepack from her cheek to Isshin's, signaling the man to hold it while she raises his shirt.

"Yes, Ichigo--a miko. Kagome has spiritual powers." The woman ignores the hiss coming from the man beside her as she gently probes the bruises on his chest. "I don't think any are broken, but you should probably take it easy for awhile, anyway," she says quietly, pulling Isshin's shirt back down before she addresses the red-head again. "I don't know what the men wanted with Kagome, but I'm guessing that is probably has something to do with her being a priestess."

Ichigo holds the older woman's gaze for a few moments before shifting it to glare at the three men lying unconscious on the floor, each of them now with their hands tied behind their backs.

"What about Zurui?" he finally asks.

"She wasn't in the kitchen when I came back in from the garden. Isshin knocked as I was walking past the front door, so I let him in and we searched the house. When we couldn't find her inside, we both went back out, thinking maybe we'd missed her. After it was obvious that she wasn't on the Shrine grounds, I went back inside to call the police, and Isshin called you from his cell."

Siore stops, her fingers shaking against her skirt while she tries to keep from crying. Isshin wraps one arm around her shoulders, placing the icepack against her cheek and brushing her dark hair away from the woman's face before he speaks.

"I thought you could help us look, son. When you didn't answer your cell, I called the restaurant and headed back inside. That's when I heard...that...that...son of a ..."

Ichigo watches his father's expression harden as he glares at the men on the floor, one of whom had slapped Siore. After a moment the man seems to compose himself and speaks again.

"That's when I told you to hurry and hung up. I ran upstairs and yelled for Siore--not realizing that there was more than one of them."

The red-head keeps his eyes on his father and Kagome's mother, watching Siore lean against Isshin--trying to draw some comfort from the older man. The boy bites his tongue when the woman begins to cry.

"I need to call her parents...," she whispers, grabbing onto Isshin's shirt and sobbing quietly against his chest. "What am I...?"

"Hush now, Siore. The Furuto's will understand that it wasn't your fault," Isshin murmurs, rubbing one hand comfortingly against the woman's back. "They won't blame you..."

"But she's only 16!" Siore says, sitting up and grabbing onto the front of the man's shirt, tears running down her pale face. "I'm supposed to watch out for her when she's here! How will they...?"

"Is Zurui a miko?"

Siore stops her sobs, turning to stare wide-eyed at Ichigo, who is now leaning against the doorframe, his cell phone flipped open in one hand.

"What?" she asks, confused at the boy's question and his actions.

"It was too loud in the restaurant to hear my phone, dad. I'm calling the police, because I don't think you got to, Siore, and it will look suspicious if we don't," the red-head says, dialing 911, but not hitting 'send' just yet. He looks back up at the pair sitting on the bed, his expression determined. "You said they wanted Kagome because she's a priestess. Could that be the same reason they took Zurui?"

Siore blinks a few times at her boyfriend's son, the idea that he was more than just a college student seeping into her confused and frightened mind. She frowns slightly to herself.

_Kagome and Inuyasha have never mentioned it, but from the way they talk about their companions in the Sengoku Jidai, I would guess that Zurui is related to their fox-friend somehow. But that would mean she's got demon blood..._

"Not that I know of," the woman says, shaking her head. "And Kagome hasn't mentioned anything about her being a miko, either. If Zurui has spiritual powers, we don't know anything about them."

"So, why would they take her?"

Ichigo looks to his father, who places one arm around Siore's shoulders as she shrugs, then starts to sob again. The young man narrows his gaze at them, trying to get the strange uneasy feeling off of his mind. He looks down and hits the 'send' on his phone, speaking briefly to the 911 operator, then the police, before hanging up and turning to his father and Siore.

"The police are on their way. You'd better tell us about your silver-haired, dog-eared future son-in-law before they arrive, though," he says, trying his best to ignore the shock written across the older pair's faces.

_(change)_

"Is this it, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Rin tightens her arms around Kohaku's waist as Kilala quickly descends above the demon-lord and the woman held captive over his shoulder, dropping several stories in a matter of seconds. The inu-youkai doesn't answer the boy's question, but a low growl reaches the trio's ears as they dive deeper into the dark cavern.

"We've only got a few hours. Inuyasha won't live any longer than that," she says, biting her lip in an imitation of her mentor, to keep back her tears. "We can't let him die. Kagome..."

"We'll find her, Rin. Sesshomaru won't let Kuroshi get away with this. The Blade wasn't meant to be used like that."

Kohaku turns to look back at the young girl behind him, her face worried and fearful. He forces himself to offer her a smile, patting her quickly on the head, above the side-ponytail she still wore in her hair--despite the fact that she was almost sixteen years old.

"We'll find Amimono, Rin. Don't worry."

The young girl looks up into the soft, dark eyes gazing down at her, nodding at the calm resolve in the slayer's expression. She tightens her arms again around the boy's waist, silently praying that the demoness would be able to help them.

_(change)_

Zurui blinks rapidly at the man standing before her, her brain seemingly stuck on the handsome face smiling at her from across the room.

"I see that you remember me," the man says, smiling to the girl as he leaves his window and walks towards a large desk covered in papers and an assortment of binders and various books. He picks up one of the folders and opens it before speaking again.

"Zurui Furuto: age sixteen, birthday April 1. Junior at Saku High School. Works part-time at Hanbaga Kyaku on 11th Ave; plays midfield on your school's soccer team; babysits for three couples in your free time. My associate is finding the families as we speak. Dating Sota Higurashi, age 16; birthday March 21, also attends Saku High School. He plays forward, mostly, but does alright as a goalkeeper. Parents: Saikoro and Henjin. I could go on, but I think you get my point, young lady."

Zurui stares, unable to process the information this man had just thrown at her. She already knew everything he had said--of course--but was completely caught off-guard by just how much he knew about her life.

And why would he go to such lengths over _her_? She was just a teenager, as far as she knew. Granted, she was above-average smart, but that was no reason for him to have kidnapped her.

Her parents were of middle-class. Her mom was a professor at the university; her father, an operator on the city's rail system. They had no money for a ransom, if that was what the man was after. And she wasn't connected or related to anyone with money or power, so far as she knew.

_No...he knows all this already... He must want me for some other reason... Something that I don't know about..._

Zurui feels her astonishment ebbing away as she tries to think of why he had taken her in the first place. The girl doesn't move from her position, forcing herself to relax in spite of the tense atmosphere in the large room, realizing that she won't get very far even if she tried to run. One, because of the light-haired man still standing by her side, but also because her curiosity has now been awakened.

She wanted to know why this man found her so interesting.

"I take it they haven't told you?" he suddenly asks, giving Zurui a suave smile, but having the opposite effect than he anticipated on the girl. Or maybe not.

Zurui swallows the fear that rises in her throat at the man's gesture, choosing to ignore the warning bells ringing in her head and focus on his question instead.

"Told me what?" she manages to ask, over the lump in her throat.

She takes a moment to glance at the associate standing by the window, still smiling creepily. Quickly switching her gaze back to the man in charge, the girl again feels a chill run down her spine when he simply gazes at her, his dark eyes twinkling.

"Why...what you really are, of course."

* * *

OK? Rrgghh... Have to go rant some more... and turn on a light. It's getting dark in here...


	14. What?

#14. Do I always put numbers up here? Hmm... Um... I need to warn you guys, the beginning of this chap is a little bit graphic. I don't think it's too bad, though. Kag and Co are trying to help Inu, and there's blood and stuff... I tried not to make it terrible, and I promise, I do love my Inuyasha. Apparently, I just like to torture him or something. (oops?) Uh... ok. Dozo!

* * *

"Hold him, Shippo!"

The miko doesn't know how she managed to make herself heard over Inuyasha's deep-throated screaming, but the kistune nods, tightening his arms around the boy's torso and stilling the other demon's movements somewhat.

Kagome, Sota, and Shippo were currently trying to keep the girl's fiancé from writhing on the ground, while Nasake was trying to patch the boy's wounds. Their plan was not working very well. The only reason the hanyou hadn't thrown the others off him already was because he had lost so much blood.

"I _can't do_ this!" the doctor yells in frustration, dropping the knife he had been holding and grabbing a spare piece of bandaging, wrapping it quickly around the wound on his hand he just received. He ties off the dressing, wondering vaguely if he's even covered his wound, because there was so much blood coating his hands. He turns dark eyes on the girl beside him, his expression serious. "We're never going to be able to do this without one of us getting seriously hurt!"

"We need to keep his legs from moving, too!" Sota says, struggling to keep the hanyou's hips down as he looks over at his sister, searching her expression for a hint of what to do.

The miko stares at her brother, then glances down at the bloody mess that was Inuyasha's chest. Nasake had needed to widen the incision made by the Black Blade of Death, to see how much damage had been done. The doctor had cursed audibly when he saw what they had to deal with.

The hanyou's left lung had been punctured, and his diaphragm cut, which was why Inuyasha's breathing was so labored. And the boy's liver--the source of most of the blood--had been severely lacerated. Thankfully though, the knife had missed his stomach and the few other organs around it.

As it was, Kagome didn't know if what she had in mind was going to work. In addition to stopping his bleeding, Nasake had said that they were going to have a difficult enough time trying to get the blood that was pooling in the half-demon's abdomen back into his system, as he had an idea about it, but had never been presented with that problem before. Most patients with wounds like Inuyasha's would have already died. If the group had to deal with digestive juices running around as well, the hanyou would likely never make it until his brother returned.

Kagome takes a deep breath, thankful that she hadn't had time to eat more that morning. She didn't know how she was keeping her small bit of breakfast down as it was.

The girl was trying to keep the blood in Inuyasha's liver behind her controlled barrier, still slightly shocked that it was actually working. Since his lung and diaphragm weren't bleeding that much, she wasn't as concerned about those, but it had been hard on the boy when Nasake had cut into his chest and abdomen--as he literally screamed in anguish and tried to throw everyone off of him.

The priestess grinds her teeth together for a moment--not knowing if it was for herself or Inuyasha--before she closes her eyes and curses quietly.

"I won't be able to help you, Nasake," she says, before turning to her brother. "Ok. Grab his legs for a second, Sota."

The three males around her tilt their heads in confusion before the younger Higurashi takes advantage of a break in Inuyasha's movements as he tries to get his breath, sliding his hands to the older boy's knees, essentially locking them down. Kagome quickly stands from where she had been kneeling beside the doctor, stepping over the half-demon and sitting down on his hips.

"Bring his knees up," she says to her brother, growing angry when he, the kitsune, and the doctor simply stare at her, their mouths open slightly. "We don't have time! Now bring his legs up!"

Sota quickly nods, releasing Inuyasha's legs and helping the hanyou pull them up so that his feet are directly behind Kagome's. The miko then slides her feet back, locking her ankles around the half-demon's.

"He won't be able to move much, now," she says, turning back to her fiancé and feeling tears fill her eyes at the boy's distressed gaze.

Inuyasha is taking deep breaths, the remnants of tears shining on his very pale cheeks.

"You can't move, Inuyasha," she says quietly, before nodding at the doctor to start again.

The half-demon utters a small whimper as Nasake picks up his knife, pouring a clear liquid over the blade and his hands, seeing Shippo wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"A disinfectant," Nasake says, looking quickly to Kagome for confirmation, shaking off the excess liquid as she nods. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," he says quietly to the half-demon, setting his face determinedly and reaching into the boy's chest again.

Inuyasha's reaction is instant.

The boy screams in pain, trying to jerk his arms and legs away from their captors, tears rolling down his face freely now. Shippo tightens his hold even further, a worried expression crossing his face before he slides his fingers between Inuyasha's, his knuckles almost immediately turning white from the amount of pressure the hanyou was putting on them.

Kagome wasn't fairing any better. Inuyasha was trying to get enough leverage with his legs to knock her off, but the way the girl had locked her ankles allowed him little movement. That didn't mean, however, that her joints weren't suffering.

_He's going to break my legs..._ the miko thinks, biting her tongue as her knees crack in response to the tension.

"We have to do something."

Kagome looks at her brother, who had moved to help Nasake, but was watching Inuyasha's face at the moment. The boy turns to his sister, shaking his head.

"He's in so much pain. And he's lost too much blood. Inuyasha's going to go into shock any minute if we don't get this done."

The girl holds her brother's intense gaze for several seconds before she glances at her fiancé, who is currently biting his teeth together so hard that he's in serious danger of breaking his jaw. She blinks back tears, wishing there was a way to ease Inuyasha's torment, but helpless as to what they could do.

"I don't..."

"Move a little, Shippo."

The four who aren't in pain glance up, surprise flashing across their faces when they see Miroku standing behind the kitsune.

"Miroku?"

"Sangos' fine for the moment," he says, nodding his head quickly behind the group, to where the slayer--under the midwife's protests--has moved to the place the monk was sitting earlier. She gives a quick, uncomfortable smile to the miko before Miroku speaks again. "I need to help Inuyasha."

Ignoring the beginnings of their protests, the hoshin leans over Shippo, placing his hands on either side of the half-demon's head, his fingers on the boy's temples. Miroku closes his eyes, muttering a quiet stream of unintelligible syllables toward his friend. Within a few minutes, Inuyasha is so relaxed that he almost seems to be asleep.

"What...what did you do?" Kagome asks, moving one hand to her fiancé's cheek and laying her palm against it. The boy's eyes flutter behind his lids, but no other movement comes from him.

"I don't think he can answer right now," Shippo says, loosening his hold and glancing at Miroku's intense expression when the monk doesn't answer. "He has to concentrate."

"As do we," Nasake interrupts. "Let's do this while we have the chance."

**OoooOoooO**

"A passage through _time?"_

Siore nods, sighing into her tea and wondering if she needed something stronger. Too many people had found out where Inuyasha had really come from today, and the woman honestly didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. She wasn't worried about Zurui--she'd known the teenager long enough by now--but she wasn't sure yet about the Kurosaki's.

Ms. Higurashi glances up at Ichigo and Isshin, who don't seem to know what to say. The father and son are both sitting back in their chairs, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Siore had only planned on telling them that Inuyasha was a half-demon, but ended up confessing where he'd really come from, too.

After she'd said that Inuyasha was hanyou, and that his necklace allowed him to look like a full human when he wore it, Isshin had asked where he'd gotten his Fire-Rat Robe. The woman had given her boyfriend a questionable '_Why?_,' trying to keep her panic hidden from the man.

The elder Kurosaki responded by saying that in college, he'd done his thesis on the 10th century, as one of his favorite stories as a child was _The Bamboo-Cutter's Tale. _Curiosity led the student to find out if a robe could really be made from the fur of the hinezumi, and additional research led him to believe that, yes, there could.

Isshin discovered that only five of the robes had been made before the creatures were considered extinct. This fact increased their desirability, and thus their worth, in addition to their value because of the fur's reputed powers.

Two of the Robe's were held by noblemen, and stayed in their lineage until the garments simply wore out. One was lost when it's final owner's boat sank in the Inland Sea, and another was sold to the Tokyo Natural History Museum in 1954, by a woman who found it buried underneath the remain's of an ancestor's home that had accidentally caught fire and burned to the ground.

The last robe had not been seen in more than 500 years. It had originally belonged to an inuyoukai, the only one of the five original owners that had made the Robe himself. The demon was rumored to have been the lover of a human royal, and that fact was confirmed when the woman was forced to renounce her position, after giving birth to a hanyou, or half-demon.

The father had left the robe to his lover and newborn son, who received it when his mother died some years later. The garment stayed with the boy for many years, until it suddenly--mysteriously--vanished from written record. The hanyou was mentioned several times after that, along with the young miko he had fallen in love with, and some friends of theirs.

Siore knew that she had to tell the Kurosaki's the truth when Isshin asked her if she knew the boy and girl's names, because _he_ did. The man thought it was simply a very strange coincidence at first, but when Sota asked her for the Robe, and Ichigo asked her to tell them about her dog-eared future son-in-law, Isshin knew that he'd found the whereabouts and owner of the last robe.

"So...only...Kagome and Inuyasha can travel through the well?" the red-head asks, running his hands through his hair before he looks up at the woman.

Siore nods, then sighs, deciding that she might as well tell the two men the truth while she was divulging everything else.

"And Sota, now. He couldn't before this afternoon, though. We still don't know why it will only let the three of them through."

Ichigo vaguely nods his head, taking a deep breath and leaning forward to put his elbows on the kitchen table. His father leans up, patting his son on the back.

"It's a lot, isn't it? To try to comperhend," he says, his brows coming together as he looks at the woman across from them. "Did you have trouble, Siore?"

Ms. Higurashi looks up from her tea, taking a few moments to take a serious look at both the younger and older Kurosaki's before she speaks. Both of the men are watching her now, but neither one seems angry or scared, only awestruck and curious.

"No," she replies, matter-of-factly. "Other than Inuyasha having the most adorable ears, I didn't think anything was odd about him or the well. I did--and still do--wish I could travel to the Feudal Era, though," Siore says, giving Ichigo and Isshin a smile when they goggle at her.

Before they can do anything else, however, a loud knocking from the front door gets the trio's attention.

"That'll be the police," Siore says, standing slowly and leaving the kitchen, a soft sigh echoing back to the men.

Ichigo turns to his father, seeing his own disbelieving expression reflected back at him.

"Well, at least we know she can handle your quirks, dad," the boy says, smirking at his father's glare before he follows Siore.

**OoooOoooO**

_I'm...I'm... __**What?**_

Zurui paces back and forth in front of the four-poster bed, turning at the fireplace and the huge, walk-in closet, respectively. After the man who had visited the Shrine earlier this afternoon had spoken to her, he had her escorted to this room, then locked inside.

The teen hadn't put up much resistance, as she knew it was futile with the armed men so near, but her mind was also occupied with what she'd just been told. Once she was inside the large bedroom, Zurui had focused on finding a way out of what she assumed was a mansion, but found that she was on the second floor, over-looking the ocean. A quick tour of the room told her that there was no other way in or out except for the double-doors she had entered.

Allowing herself a few minutes to throw some pillows across the room in frustration, the girl had gone back to pondering what the man had told her.

_How does he know that? __**I**__ didn't even know... Mom and dad never said anything... Even Grandma and Grandpa... _

The girl walks over to one of the windows, staring out at the waves pounding against the cliff below the house. A few seagulls fly past, their white wings showing up well against the darkness that was falling around them.

_If only I had wings like they do..._ she thinks, sighing as she turns away. The girl then eyes the bed, frowning before a bookshelf on it's opposite side catches her attention.

_Since there's nothing else to do..._

Zurui skirts the bed, making her way to the books that lined the wall beside the closet. A quick glance tells her that there's nothing more recent than the 1900's, which both intrigues and irritates her.

The girl was a read-a-holic, and would normally love the chance to look through lots of old books. At the moment though, she wanted nothing more than to take her mind off the day and get lost in a pointless romance novel.

Zurui sighs, leaning her forehead against the worn and faded spines. She then frowns to herself, pulling back and staring intently at the volumes in front of her.

_Why did he put me in this room? Was it intentional? An accident?_

The teen laughs lightly, shaking her head at the notion--deciding that she was thinking way too much. There was nothing important about books with titles like, _Footprints in the Mountains_;_ Hearing What Will Not Call;_ and _Walking on the Descendant's Falls_. It was just coincidence that she liked to read, and here was a wall full of books.

Stretching her arms over her head and wondering if her captors were going to feed her when her stomach gives a loud growl, the girl scans the titles, pulling a book called _Amu's Rites and Rituals_ from the dusty shelves, retreating to a plush, comfy-looking chair beside the fireplace and beginning to read.

* * *

I know, I know. I left out Sess and Co. I'll get back to them in the next chap. You'll find out what happened with them then. Uh... Feel free to ask questions. :) Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm not a doctor, so if you are one, don't yell at me that I forgot to mention Inu's gallbladder or something. I know already. I was just trying to give you guys an idea of how seriously he was hurt. :P


	15. Threads

sigh Sorry, guys. It took me forever on this. I had people visiting, and finals... Yada, yada. I know. I'm an evil writer. :(

* * *

Kagome glances down at her shoulder, staring blankly at the clean bandages for a moment before she raises her other arm to her neck, feeling the slight bump under that dressing. She draws her hand away, seeing just the slightest hint of red on her fingers. She sighs.

_At least...it seems to be working somewhat..._

The girl raises her arms, sliding the sore appendages into the sleeves of the robe she'd managed to scrounge from a villager. She forces back a yawn as she ties the clothing around her, sliding her feet into the sandals she'd also 'borrowed' as her brother's voice floats behind her 'dressing room.'

"Hey, Kagome? I'm gonna head back now."

"Hang on, Sota."

The miko grabs her dirtied clothes and the green bag lying at her feet before moving from behind the partition, holding one finger up to her brother to get him to wait. Sota nods as his sister glances around at the two-dozen or so villagers spread around the inside of the hut, catching Nasake's light gaze and giving him a small grin when he mouths '_last one_,' as a young girl ties off the wrapping on his left hand. She speaks softly to him for a second before rising, grabbing another set of robes and heading toward Kagome and her brother, her front covered in blood.

"Thanks, Dageki. I owe you," Kagome whispers, patting the tired girl on the shoulder when she's close enough.

"Your welcome, Miss Kagome. And don't worry about it. I knew how to tend some of the easier wounds, so I did," she says, shrugging. "You and the Doctor and Maneja and Moi had your hands full; it was the least I could do."

The miko imitates the smile the girl is giving her, wondering if she would have had the same nerve at barely 13 years old that the doctor's apprentice had. Deciding that she's too tired to think about it, Kagome turns to her brother, but is stopped abruptly by a hand on her arm.

"We've all been praying that he'll wake up soon," Dageki whispers when Kagome turns around, wondering if she's said something wrong when a flash of pain crosses the older girl's dark eyes.

Kagome is silent for a moment, then looks around the hut, seeing several worried expressions aimed in her direction. She glances back at the girl, raising one hand and placing it over the young healer's.

"Thank-you," she says, smiling again before she and her sibling quietly exit the hut.

"What do you think's going on?" Sota asks, knowing that his sister knows exactly what he means. He hears her release a soft sigh as they make their way past the other hut housing rest of the villagers, to the third, smaller one containing their friends.

"I don't know, Sota. But we're not gonna be back home for several hours. Maybe not until tomorrow morning. I think mom's fine--she has both Isshin and Ichigo with her--but we're both going to have a lot of explaining to do once Inuyasha and I return."

The teenager grimaces to himself, not responding to the unspoken question still hanging in the air. He stops as the two of them come level with the entrance to the hut, smiling at the soft cooing and laughing sounds coming from within until he sees his sister's troubled expression.

"He'll be back, Kagome," Sota says, grabbing one of his sibling's hands and giving it a light squeeze, rather than hugging her and covering her with blood again. "It's just taking a little longer than he thought."

The miko nods absently, glancing at the entrance to the hut with vacant eyes before she draws them back to her brother, returning his gesture.

"Thanks, Sota. For everything," she says, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. She steps back, wiping away the tears that are forming in her eyes. "Tell mom what's happened, and that we'll be back as soon as we can. And find out what happened to that girlfiriend of yours. I bet Zurui's freaked out that you vanished into the old well," Kagome says, winking at her brother, who is turning a light pink.

Sota mumbles something under his breath, pushing his bloodied tennis shoes into the dirt before he looks back up. "Yeah... I didn't see her when I was there before. Maybe she already went home, or was hiding in one of the other rooms...," he says, drifting off as he glances in the direction of the well. The teen frowns to himself, a slight uneasiness settling in his chest now that the adrenaline has worn off. He turns back to his sister, seeing her amused grin slowly morph to echo his worry.

"I'll see you later."

Both Kagome and Sota raise their brows in suprise as the other says the exact same thing, holding the look for a moment before the boy grabs Kagome's clothes, adding them to the pack on his back that contains Inuyasha's robe and modern clothes. He sees the same pair of burly farmers waiting impatiently for him at the beginnings of the fields, and waves to his sister and the villagers that were busy building makeshift shelters before heading for home.

**OoooOoooO**

_I kinda liked working on everybody's wounds, actually. Maybe I'll go into medicine when I get to college..._

Sota smiles to himself, thinking about how proud his mother would be if he made that announcement at dinner. Then he frowns, thinking that he's really going to have to start listening to his girlfriend if he even wants to get to college.

Sighing, the teen ignores the the two farmers as they exchange a bewildered glance over his head, gripping their pitchforks a little tighter, then smiling in relief as the three of them enter the clearing containing the Bone-Eater's Well. Sota thanks the two farmers for walking him through the Forest, smiling goofily when they, in turn, thank him for his help in tending to their fellow villagers.

"No problem," he says, swinging his legs over the well jumping into the blackness, closing his eyes as the blue-white light engulfs him.

Sota blinks, trying to adjust to the darkness of the well-house after being in the bright magic of the well. When he's finally able to see the step-ladder on the wall in front of him, the teen begins to climb, grunting by the time he's reached the top and wondering how his sister managed to do that with an over-stuffed backpack when she was younger than he is now.

_Maybe is has something to do with Kagome being a miko..._ he thinks, making mental note to ask his sister about that later, and if she had any ideas on why he could suddenly travel into the past.

_Maybe I'm getting powers like she is..._

Sota stops, pondering the idea for a moment before he laughs, thinking that his day had been way too busy, and that he needs to take a nap to get his mind thinking straight again.

Heading up the stairs, the boy adjusts the bag on his back, vowing to get out of his sticky clothes and into a hot shower as soon as possible. He steps through the door to the well-house, releasing a sigh at the twilight falling quickly over the Shrine, wondering how upset Zurui was going to be with him, since he'd been gone most of the day.

When he's about halfway to the house, the boy hears someone yell his name and turns toward the Shrine steps, seeing his mother walking toward him, followed by Isshin Kurosaki. Sota stops, frowning to himself and wondering if he can hide the huge amount of blood and dirt embedded into his clothes. Seeing his mother's guilty experssion as she draws closer, the teen gives up, knowing that the father and son already know.

"Hey, mom; Isshin. Kagome and Inu..."

Sota is cut off as Siore stops in front of him, her voice slightly higher when she takes in the appearance of her youngest, though an underlying sadness makes her words softer than normal.

"It's Zurui, Sota. There's something you need to know."

**OoooOoooO**

Kagome waits until she sees the two men returning to the village before she ventures into the hut, wanting to make sure that her brother had passed safely into the well, and needing a moment to steel her emotions, already knowing that it wasn't going to do a bit of good. She bites down on her bottom lip, closing her eyes and stepping through the flap before she looses her nerve.

The miko waits a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, as all the windows in this hut have been covered for Sango's privacy. She then glances to her left, covering her smile with one hand as she gazes at the torture four tiny hands were wreaking on a certain kitsune's tail.

"They _soo_ owe me," Shippo mutters, drawing the closest body--Tsuta--in his lap and tickling her unmercifully.

"Shippy! Stop, Shippy! That tickly!"

The miko and the kitsune laugh, before another body decides that the fox's ponytail is too interesting to be left alone.

"I got you now, demon!"

"Owe!"

Shippo scowls, then reaches over his shoulder and grabs the girl's brother by the front of his robe, hauling Korogi over his head and pinning both the children underneath him as he pretends to growl threateningly at them. The kids squeal and squirm and giggle, until a light _shush_ from their mother makes all three become quiet.

"Quiet, you two. Your sister is trying to sleep."

"We'll go find Maneja. She'll need some help with gathering wood and water, anyway. Wear off some of these two's energy," Shippo says, standing up and suddenly finding both of his legs weighed down. "Come on, runts," he mutters, rolling his eyes at the duo sitting on his feet, before giving Kagome a quick hug and walking--slowly--out the door.

"Be careful, Shippo," Sango says, shaking her head at the clawed hand that waves through the door before the trio disappears completely.

The miko turns to the rest of her extended family, feeling a smile cross her face as she takes in her exhausted, but happy, friend holding the newest member of their group, Sango's still-sleeping husband lying by her side.

"Her name is _Hayai_. Because she came early."

Kagome giggles, wondering where the sudden urge came from, and--surprisingly--realizing it made her feel a little better. She kneels quietly beside Sango, pulling the small box from the green bag and setting it by the tajiya's side. The girl then gently runs her fingertips over the babe's soft, dark hair, marveling at how she still couldn't seem to control her amazement or happiness, even though this was the couple's third child. Kagome blinks several times to keep the prickling sensation behind her eyes at bay.

"Another girl, huh? Miroku will be thrilled."

"I am."

Both of the girl's eyes widen as they look over to the monk, his skin pale and his smile shaky and tired, though his eyes are bright.

"I woke up a few minutes ago. Still can't move much, though," Miroku whispers, another grin crossing his face when Sango places her hand gently against his forehead. "Sending Inuyasha's mind into the _Hikkan_ took more out of me than I thought."

"Is that what you did?" the miko asks, only realizing the monotony in her voice when both the hoshin and the tajiya turn to look at her, frowning. She feels a warmth starting to cover her cheeks and quickly glances away, to the still body on the other side of the hut. "I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"It's the first thing that's taught to potential priests, because it takes the longest to learn. Holding someone's mind in the Spiritual Plane can be very dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing."

Kagome is quiet for a moment, scrutinizing the slow rise and fall of her fiancé's chest before tearing her eyes away and turning back to the couple. She gives them a teary smile, leaning forward and kissing Sango's brow before she stands.

"You did good today. Both of you," she whispers, moving silently toward Inuyasha. Neither Sango nor Miroku respond, understanding their friend's unspoken gratitude for the monk's role in helping the hanyou.

There was no doubt in Kagome's mind that what Miroku had done had probably saved Inuyasha's life. He'd separated the half-demon's mind from his body, sending it--temporarily-- into the _Hikkan_, or Spiritual Plane. This allowed Kagome and Nasake to work on the boy without resistance, and also freed Inuyasha from the pain he was feeling, at least until he woke up, that is. Which would--hopefully--be soon.

Kagome comes to a stop above her fiancé, clenching her jaw tightly as she struggles to keep her tears in check, though she gives up a moment later when she feels them sliding down her cheeks. The girl sinks slowly to her knees, reaching out to turn the bandage lying on his chest, feeling the warm spot of hope spread in her's when sees the threads have bound themselves together.

_I still can't believe it... It was a guess... More of a hope... And...it's working..._

The priestess had taken a wild stab in the dark, praying that her idea would work. And it did, to some extent, though it wasn't completely foolproof. Nasake had used threads from Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire-Rat to bind his wounds, while everyone prayed that the garment's healing properties would have some effect on the cuts.

It didn't.

The boy was still bleeding. However, the thread did bind to _itself_, hence it's abilities to repair holes and burns inflicted during Inuyasha's fights. So while the incisions that Nasake made were now almost completely healed, the one's made by the Black Blade of Death had only been..._plugged_. Inuyasha was still losing blood, although now, thankfully, it was much more slowly than before, allowing his brother time to return.

Kagome releases a controlled sigh, covering Inuyasha's wound again and laying down beside him, placing one hand against his cheek. She sees his eyes flutter underneath his lids, like they did before, but the boy doesn't open them.

"Won't you please wake up?" the girl whispers, not caring if Sango and Miroku hear her. Kagome feels her heart almost break when the boy doesn't respond, and just continues to breathe shallowly, his face still very pale.

Inuyasha had been asleep for almost 4 hours. She and Nasake had moved him and Miroku--who had fallen unconscious as soon as he released his spell on the hanyou--into the hut with Sango, then began attending to the other villagers. Maneja and another woman, Moi, took care of the tajiya in labor, while Dageki cared for those who had only cuts and light burns, and Sota and Shippo ran errands: gathering wood for fires, fetching water, searching the rubble for survivors and usable items.

In addition, the pair had also helped Kagome and Nasake, and organized some of the men and boys who weren't seriously injured into groups to either move the people into the huts when they had been seen, find weapons to guard the village, begin making new shelters, find food, and move the..._bodies _to the edge of the village for later burial. By the time the sun started to set, everyone was exhausted and the village was still in shambles, but at least things were moving in the right direction.

The miko--ignoring the quiet whispering from the other side of the hut--shifts her eyes to the black tube coming from just behind Inuyasha's hip, and disappearing under the front of his hakamas. She smiles ruefully at her quirky grandfather, thankful for all the things he hoarded in the shed behind the house.

At the last minute she'd told Sota to find the flexible, plastic tubing their Gramps would use for...well, the siblings weren't really sure what it's original purpose was. It invariably popped up in different places around the Shrine, and Kagome was just glad that there was still an unopened package that they could use.

They'd soaked it in alcohol, just in case, before Nasake threaded some cloth through it, leaving one end in the hanyou's lower abdomen, the other containing a small porcupine quill, also soaked in alcohol. The doctor had inserted this 'needle' into the artery on the inside of Inuyasha's thigh and tied it down. Like the thread, this method wasn't foolproof, as there were leaks around the needle and the end of the tube, but it was better than nothing.

Kagome takes a deep breath, leaning forward and giving the boy a soft kiss on the lips to keep her nerves calm. She almost screams when she feels him kiss her back, scrambling away as her heart thunders in her chest.

"Inuyasha?!"

"Kagome?"

"What's wrong?"

The miko waves vaguely at her friends, moving back over to the half-demon, glaring at the smirk he's now wearing, though his eyes are still closed.

"If you weren't injured I'd hit you!" she all but yells, quickly closing the remaining distance between them and cradling the boy's head in her arms, sobbing softly.

"_Tired..._"

"I know. I know," Kagome says, her voice cracking at the pain in the boy's weak voice. "Sesshomaru will be back soon. Any minute now..."

"Kagome!"

As if in answer to her soft promise, the small group inside the hut looks to the doorway at the yell of the miko's name, the mat hanging over it being almost ripped down when Shippo flings it aside. He continues to stand there while two women step inside, one raven-haired, the other with what looks to be a very light-green. They glance around for a moment before heading to the hanyou, the older aiming a smile at the newborn, while the younger seems to be trying not to gag. Kagome sees Rin, Kohaku, and Kilala for a brief moment before Shippo lets the mat drop, but can find no indication of Sesshomaru's presence.

"Oh...you poor dear..."

The three humans watch the dark-haired woman..._demon_, bending over Inuyasha, making _tut-tutting_ sounds with her tongue while the younger of the two stays at the boy's feet.

"Your brother told me you were reckless," she says, glancing up to Kagome when the girl scowls, but giving her a wink and smiling with her ice-blue eyes, though her mouth remains set in a line. "How did you...?"

"Looks like Hinezumi to me, mother."

"Oh?" the demoness says, turning to her daughter. "And you can tell that how, Amuhara?"

The younger demon rolls her almost silver eyes, pushing her long, light green bangs behind her ears. "I can see it's aura, mother. And only a few demon-hides still have the ability to heal themselves after death. The fire-rat is the only one that's red."

Kagome isn't sure, but she thinks that the older youkai raises her brows in surprise.

"Oh? What about the Cyanokai? The sea-birds also possess..."

"_Yes_...but they are teal, mother, not red. You taught me that ages ago. I..."

"Uh...excuse me?"

Both of the demons turn to Kagome, who gives them an exasperated look before glancing down at Inuyasha.

"He has a strong will to live, this one," the older demon says, smiling again as she finally kneels and placing one hand on Inuyasha's chest. Kagome does a double-take when she thinks she sees the woman's claws vanish into his ribs, but immediately shakes her head, attributing her imagination to the amount of stress she's been under today.

"How deep are the wounds?" Amuhara asks, kneeling opposite her mother and looking up at Kagome.

"His liver and left lung, and diaphragm," she responds, not realizing that the two demon-women know exactly what she means until the pair exchanges a small grimace.

"Worse than I'd hoped, but this was Kuroshi's doing, so I guess we should be happy that she didn't kill him outright. That sister of yours certainly has issues..."

It takes Kagome more than a full second for the words to sink in, after which she gapes at the two youkai in front of her.

_Sister?!_

**OoooOoooO**

Ichigo stomps up the stairs, too angry to take the elevator. The police had taken the men that had broken into the Shrine into custody, and gotten Zurui's description, but had no leads, as the three men refused to talk. Even with the threat of being charged with breaking-and-entering, kidnapping, assault and battery, and assault with a deadly weapon, they wouldn't budge. So, until Inuyasha came back, there was nothing anyone could do about the missing schoolgirl.

The young red-head fishes his keys out of his pocket, swearing silently to himself that it was happening all over again, only with someone else. He unlocks the door, slamming it behind him and flipping on the light in his darkening apartment, only just seeing the hilt of his favorite katana out of the corner of his eye before it smashes onto his head, and Ichigo falls into blackness.

**OoooOoooO**

Zurui turns over, restlessly trying to get comfortable in an unfamiliar bed. Her captors had given her food and pajamas a few hours ago, telling her to get a good night's sleep. The girl had briefly thought about making a mad run for it, but quickly squashed that idea when she saw the armed guards outside her room.

The girl had given in and eaten, then taken a long shower and climbed into bed, taking her book with her. She'd never given the less-than-practical aspect of medicine much more than a passing thought, but the book she'd picked up was proving to be very interesting.

It told of the healing properties of 'magical' creatures, like Inuyasha, and of medicinal herbs that had eventually been replaced by more modern medicines, though all of their qualities had yet to be discovered. In addition, there were all sorts remedies and ceremonies that only certain people could perform, mostly those with spiritual powers, like Kagome. The book went on to detail exactly what each injury or ailment required; the claws of a fresh water crab; hair from a rare, white tanuki; the blessing of a living sage. On and on. Zurui found it fascinating.

Which was exactly what her captors wanted.

**OoooOoooO**

"You almost killed him."

"So? You've tried to kill him before. Why am I any different?"

"I had my reasons, which are now..._resolved_. As are his, with me. The first time you met him, you threatened his woman, his village, his pack, his..."

"_Please_. Don't act like you actually care about him, _dad_. You only stick around because you find humans vaguely amusing, since that girl has been hanging with you for so long. I think she started it all. You were never this soft with anyone before, especially humans. You'd think you'd have been..."

Sesshomaru rolls his eyes as his daughter keeps rambling, wondering if she knows what she's talking about, and what in Kami's name he was going to do with her now? He couldn't take her back to his brother's village; Inuyasha would kill her as soon as he was able, and he didn't want to leave her alone, as she was liable to get into more trouble than she already was. Besides, even though he didn't necessarily get along with a lot of humans, he wasn't so..._unrefined_ as to stoop low enough to attack one of their dwelling places. It was beneath him.

The inu-demon snorts to cover a sigh, Kuroshi still pacing back-and-forth, completely ignoring him as she rants. Sesshomaru looks away, wishing for the umpteenth time that he hadn't met her mother all those years ago, before he developed common sense.

Then, for just a second, he smiles.

_Well...maybe I had a little..._

* * *

Errrgghh... My brain hurts. Yep. Uh, many things to tell you. Tanuki means raccoon-dog. I know. Hachi. Hrm...Maybe I should put him in here. I've never seen him in any fics. Uh...I don't know that my method of putting Inu's blood back into his system would necessary work, though it seems to be plausble if you think about it. I know; I'm weird, but he'd lost too much blood and needed some of it back. Uh...what else? I know there's something else, but I can't think of it right now. Bye! :)


	16. What You See

I know. I'm an evil, mean author. Er...can I get away with just admitting that? Probably not... I'm very sorry? If it makes anyone feel better, I've been screaming at myself for slacking, and have been requesting that people who visit me bring sledgehammers to get my butt in gear. It's kinda hard when your brain is stuck behind a hanyou writing-block.... And school, which has been his beta.... Maybe the chap will be enough to smooth things over? I hope?

* * *

"Inuyasha....."

"I know."

"You say that, but you still aren't listening. Amimono and Amuhara said that you had to take it easy for at least two days. If you open your wounds, they won't be able to close them again."

The hanyou throws a glare at his fiancé, but slows his awkward walk as he and the girl head toward the well. The young woman adjusts the arm that was draped over her shoulders, allowing Inuyasha to lean heavily against her, even though a low growl was now being aimed directly into her ear.

"Oh, be quiet," Kagome finally snaps, giving the boy's hair a soft pull at the same time, to let him know she means business. The half-demon blinks, but stops with his gutteral noises. "I don't want you dying on me because you're too stubborn to relax for a few days."

Inuyasha's surprise quickly morphs into a frown, but he doesn't protest anymore, and remains silent until the two of them get to the well and jump in, disappearing into the blue light.

"Are you up to explaining?" he asks, almost quietly, as if he's afraid to incur his girl's wrath. The irritation on her face could go either way.

Kagome doesn't respond, at first, choosing to put most of her energy into getting the boy onto the ladder and helping him out of the well.

"I don't think that we'll have much of a choice," she says, finally, falling onto the dirt floor beside the hanyou and taking several moments to catch her breath. "Sota said that both Ichigo and Isshin were here when he came to get your robes. Mom had to have explained where they came from, though she wouldn't know why you needed them. I just wonder how _much_ we're going to have to reveal to them."

Inuyasha takes a deep, steadying breath, wincing at the twinge his chest gives in protest. He glances down at the bandages wrapped around his torso, under the open kosode Kagome had scrounged for him. He grudgingly vows to take it easy for the next day or so, until his wound can heal completely.

When Amimono had healed the hanyou, Kagome had not just been seeing things. The demoness' hands had literally passed through Inuyasha's skin and into the muscle and organs beneath, using her own powers to force his body to heal itself.

The two women had exchanged a pained look when the humans in the hut had wanted to know what was happening, as the technicalities were difficult to explain. Essentially, though, the Blade had destroyed the healing ability of the area it had penetrated, and Amimono had to remove and replace everything that had been damaged, or Inuyasha would never heal completely.

It wasn't an overly long process, but had turned out to be fairly tedious due to the depth of the half-demon's wounds, so they women said. Amimono was breathing heavily by the time she finished with him, so Amuhara had tended to the small nick on Kagome's neck.

The two youkai had then warned the pair not to re-open their wounds, as--even though they appeared to be healed--the tissue underneath still needed several more hours before it would be able to withstand stretching and twisting without tearing open. Kagome had promised that she and Inuyasha would take it easy, and the demonesses had left to search for Sesshomaru and Kuroshi, politely refusing the offer of a meal, scant though it may have been.

"Think they found them yet?" Kagome asks, wondering if she should even bring the subject up.

The hanyou had heard the 'sister' comment, and was able to put two-and-two together concerning the woman who had stabbed him. His so-called _niece_, much to his irritation. Inuyasha had silently hoped that this brother would simply tear off her head, but didn't think that was likely to happen. For one, they needed to find out what Kuroshi was after. And her being decapitated would put quite a large damper on getting that information. Also, he preferred to have that pleasure himself.

"Don't know," the boy mumbles, irritated, placing one hand on the stitch in his side as he and the girl traverse the stairs to the outside world. "I don't see either of them as indiscriminant demons who will stop at nothing to find what they're after. And besides, if Sesshomaru doesn't want to be found, then he won't be; no matter who it is that's tailing him."

"That's true," Kagome agrees, pushing open the doors and squinting into the afternoon sunlight shining down on the Shrine.

The two of them continue across the yard in relative quiet, except for occassional grunts from the aching hanyou. When they reach the house and enter the back door, however, the complete silence coming from the inside catches them off-guard.

"Mom?" Kagome says, raising her voice so it will carry upstairs. "Sota?"

Inuyasha gives the girl a frown as she disappears into the rest of the house, even opening the front door and checking the flowers beds for the rest of her family. She finds her fiancé sitting at the kitchen table when she comes back, apparently debating on whether he has enough energy to make it to the fridge.

"Didn't find them, I take it?" he asks, smirking when Kagome shakes her head. "I could have told you that. Their scents are old."

The girl sneers slightly at the hanyou before speaking. "Then why didn't you say something?" she asks, rolling her eyes as the boy shrugs, holding his stomach. It takes a second for her to realize that he probably couldn't inhale enough air to yell at her, and her expression softens. "I don't know why they wouldn't be here. They're not usually busy on Sundays, and I know mom would be worried about you once Sota told her what happened." Kagome frowns as another thought hits her. "You don't think those men had accomplices, do you?"

Inuyasha releases a low growl, raising his nose in the air and taking a deep breath. "I don't smell anyone other than Mom and Sota, and the Kurosaki's, faintly. Call the hospital. Maybe they went to see your Gramps."

Kagome stares at the half-demon for a few seconds before she realizes that what he'd suggested made sense, then turns, heading for the phone in the hall to call her grandfather's room. She starts to get anxious, though, when no one answers.

"Not there," she says, coming back into the kitchen, taking pity on the boy still staring at the fridge and starting to make him a sandwich. It was well past lunch-time anyway, and would help to calm her nerves if she had something to do.

"Try your mom or the brat's cell, then," Inuyasha says, chuckling lightly to himself when the girl narrows her gaze on him--then makes a _'well, duh' _face--grunting softly as his ribs twinge again. Kagome finishes his food, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before she goes back to the phone, heaving a sigh of relief when her mother answers on the first ring.

"Mom? Where are you and....."

"Kagome? Are you back from the Feudal Era? Well, of course you would be; how else would you be calling me on the phone? Is Inuyasha okay? Sota told me what happened. That demon certainly did want to cause a lot of trouble, didn't she? How is your friend doing? I made a little something for the baby, but I wanted to wait until I found out if it was a boy or a girl before finishing it. I also want to talk to you as to why you think your brother can suddenly pass through the well. Do you think it has anything to do with....?"

"MOM!" Kagome says, virtually yelling at Siore to stop her rant. It was quite obvious that the older woman was nervous, and therefore rambling. "I'll tell you everything once you come home, but where are you and Sota now?"

Siore pauses on the other end of the line for several seconds, seemingly to speak to someone that Kagome couldn't hear. She finally answers with a barely-concealed sigh. "We're at Isshin's. He wouldn't let us stay at the Shrine with you and Inuyasha not being there."

"Why?" the girl asks, picking up on her mother's anxious vibes, but not understanding the reason. She took it as fact that Siore would have explained about Inuyasha to the Kurosaki's, at least the basics, but what she'd just heard was the _opposite_ of what she was expecting. The removal of her mother and brother from their home meant that something more was going on. "What's wrong, mom?"

The other woman again converses with someone out of the girl's range, before speaking to her in a low, slightly-shaky tone. "Kagome... There's no good way to say this, so I'll just say it. Zurui has been....taken."

"Taken?" the miko echoes, not immediately understanding the implications. She turns to the doorway when she hears the floor squeak, stepping closer to Inuyasha so that he can hear the rest of the conversation, and also to prevent him from moving any farther and aggravating his wounds. "What do you mean, 'taken' ?"

Siore sighs again. "Sota told you about the men in the house?" she asks, waiting for a soft affirmative from her daughter before going on. "They....they were after you, dear. We think it's because you're a miko. But....they also took Zurui, and we don't know why. The men just laughed when we asked who they work for, refusing to give us any leads as to where they took her."

Kagome blinks in quiet astonishment and alarm, raising wide eyes to her fiancé, who seems to be echoing her expression. Under her silent protest, Inuyasha walks to the bottom of the stairs, sniffing the air, but shaking his head as he looks back at her.

"Too faint. And even if I _could_ backtrack them, I wouldn't be able to do anything useful about it," he whispers, still somehow managing to growl, and releasing the hold he had on his bandage. Kagome tries not to cry.

"Inuyasha can't sense them, mom," the girl says, feeling the beginnings of tears come to her eyes anyway, as she imagines Zurui trapped somewhere dark, with only the faint sounds of her captors echoing around her. She tries to keep her voice steady as she continues, but can hear the slight vibrato echo in her ears anyway. "He's also got orders to stay off his feet for the next couple of days."

"I was afraid of that, dear. Sota said it was pretty bad," Siore says, her voice dropping into that pitch that said she was trying very hard to control her emotions. "Is he in very much pain?"

"You know Inuyasha, mom. He tried to convince us that his black eyes, broken nose, and cracked skull from when Sota nearly ran over him with the car was 'just a scratch.' He'll be fine; how is Sota doing?" Kagome asks, ignoring the grunt of indignation from behind her as her mother tries to stifle sudden, though somewhat relieved, giggles.

The young miko knew full-well that her fiancé would be okay--as long as he didn't exert himself--but her little brother, though he was getting close to being seventeen years old, was likely taking the news about Zurui extremely hard. The pair had only been together for a year-or-so, but Kagome was already recognizing the signs in her sibling, that she hadn't understood until after almost three years with Inuyasha.

Sota was falling in love.

Kagome twitches slightly--caught off-guard--when her hanyou wraps an arm around her waist, laying his cheek on her shoulder. She reaches up with her free hand to caress the closest fuzzy, triangular appendage, the barely-audible hum that instantly vibrates against her going a long way to helping calm her frazzled nerves.

"Okay...for the moment," Siore says, with a resigned sigh. "Isshin and I have managed to convince him not to do anything rash, but he's been pacing in the living room for so long that I think he's literally worn a path in the carpet. When he hears that Inuyasha can't track her, though...."

Kagome nods in silent agreement to her mother's words, while the boy behind her releases a light growl. The miko was sure that her brother was _just_ keeping it together. Without the half-demon's nose to guide them, they would have to do things the normal, human way.

They would have to let the police do all the work.

Although....

"Go ahead and bring him home, mama," Kagome says, reverting to the little-girl reference for her mother that she only used when under extreme stress. "I...might have an idea, but I need Sota to even try it."

"Really?" Siore and Inuyasha ask at the same time, each unaware of the duality. Kagome nods to her fiancé, but speaks with a tone that doesn't sound completely convinced.

"Just an idea, mom. Don't say anything until I give it more thought. I might even have to consult Miroku about it," the girl says, suddenly frowning and giving the half-demon an exasperated look out of the corner of her eye. Inuyasha just blinks at her.

"Alright, dear. We'll be home in about an hour." The older woman pauses, then speaks in a lower tone. "You do know that Isshin will be accompanying us?"

"Yes," Kagome says, absently, mumbling a soft goodbye to her mother and hanging up the phone before tilting her head and resting her cheek against the boy's soft bangs. "You do realize what day this is, don't you, Inuyasha?"

The boy remains quiet for several moments, before releasing a soft moan, burying his face against the warm skin of her neck, as if he can hide from world.

"So tomorrow is..."

"Yeah. And that means..."

"School. And work," Inuyasha deadpans, making what sounds like a strangled sound deep in his throat. "And don't we have...."

"....to meet the florist tomorrow? Yes. And we both have fittings, too. And Ichigo is supposed to be at the apartment in the morning as well, remember?"

The hanyou groans.

**OoooOoooO**

His head was _killing_ him.

Ichigo slowly raises the appendage he formerly called his brain, blinking to adjust his fuzzy eyesight, even though there was barely enough light in his apartment to see by. He moves one hand toward the throbbing in his skull, wincing as his fingers brush his hair. He forces himself to sit up, fighting the nausea that rises in his throat.

_What the hell happened?_

The boy squints into the darkness, the vague outlines of the furniture and walls of his bedroom coming into focus after several seconds. He frowns, not immediately noticing anything out of place, but still getting the feeling that something was very wrong. Ichigo slides his legs off the bed and places one foot on the floor, almost immediately withdrawing it when he feels cool liquid against his skin.

_Yuck! What did I...?_

The red-head reaches for the lamp beside him, flipping on the light and blinking again as his vision tries to adjust to the sudden intrusion, his stomach and brain fighting each other over who would be the first to escape his body. When Ichigo finally has control over himself, he glances at the hardwood, another frown crossing his lips.

_Vodka...? _he thinks, eyeing the glass bottle next to the spill with distaste, noticing that there was very little liquid compared to what the bottle would have held. _But...I don't drink hard liquor....I was just keeping that bottle for Keigo...._

The boy stands--slowly--from his bed, swaying on his feet for a moment before he makes his way around the spill, suddenly very interested in what day it was. It takes him a few seconds to notice that he's still wearing the same clothes he'd had on at the Shrine, and the various items that he'd apparently vandalized in his alcoholic wake.

_Did that fight take that much out of me? Was I that upset about Zurui being taken? By finding out...__**things**__...about Inuyasha?_

Ichigo already knew the answer to those questions, despite the evidence to the contrary. He barely knew the teenager, and though he was obviously less than thrilled she was kidnapped, he knew that wasn't enough to drive him to drinking himself into a stupor. Even including the added stress of learning the truth about the hanyou, and all the other crap he was having to deal with at the moment.

_So...why does someone want me to __**think**__ I've just got a hangover then?_

The red-head finally makes his way into the kitchen, not having found his phone in his jacket or pants, or in any of the usual places he would lay things and then forget about them. It only takes a few seconds to notice the electronic device, sitting innocently next to his keys and wallet, right beside the door to his apartment, on a shelf mounted to the wall that supported his favorite katana.

The one place that he never put those items.

_Wait...my sword...it wasn't there...before...._

Ichigo scowls as the memory evades him, closing his eyes to _make_ himself remember before he gives up, rubbing his temples. His head hurt too much at the moment to do anything that required more than three or four brain cells to accomplish.

Sighing, now, the boy retrieves his phone, flipping it open and glancing at the displayed date before his long-term memory kicks in and he curses out loud, weaving slightly as he makes his way to the bathroom to shower.

He had less than an hour before he was supposed to be at Inuyasha and Kagome's apartment. Unfortunately, in his panic Ichigo doesn't register the fact that it should be _Sunday_, but is, in fact, _Monday._

**OoooOoooO**

_Does he really think that I'm just gonna stay here?!_

The demon stares at the retreating back, the long silver hair and...well, whatever that fluffy thing was...floating on the breeze as he sweeps across the evening sky. Sesshomaru doesn't look back, quite certain that the woman would remain where she was.

Where he'd told her to stay.

Kuroshi releases a inhuman growl, baring her fangs as the her father finally disappears from view, then turning on her heel and heading for the center of the island, ignoring the small creatures that hurry out of her way as she releases a string of unintelligible curses.

"He thinks I'm just gonna do what he says, does he?! Ignores me for half my adult life, and decides that _now_ is a good time to get _reacquainted_?! Well, he has another think coming! And he kept the Blade, damn it!"

The demoness mumbles to herself some more as she stomps through the undergrowth, effectively silencing the cheerful birdsong above her as she yells.

"Atsui! I know you're there! Get your skinny ass out here right now!"

The impatient woman crosses her arms and taps her nails against her tanned skin, becoming more angry with each second her summons goes unanswered.

"Atsui! I am _not _in a good mood, as you can plainly see! Do not try me!"

Another few seconds crawl by before the woman hears a faint shuffle and turns, pushing down the faint relief that had snuck up on her as she sees the boy.

"Took you long enough. You didn't think he would actually notice you, did you?" Kuroshi asks, a small smirk crossing her face when the demon shrugs, gazing in the direction Sesshomaru had gone, his dark gaze glossing for a moment before he shakes his head.

"No. No one notices me."

Kuroshi frowns at the smallish demon, wondering if he'll ever fill out, as he was barely a rail as it was. His brownish-red skin is pale, despite the heat of the sun's rays beating down on them, and most of the boy's bones are visible, though he insists that he's not hungry, if anyone bothers to notice and ask. Atsui's midnight hair was just now brushing his shoulders, as it had been cut sometime ago, and the plain, almost drab grey kosode he wore would need replacing in the very short future, not that he really cared, one way or the other.

"I do," Kuroshi says, giving the boy a small smile when he looks at her. Atsui just shrugs, but the tiniest hint of a blush crosses his cheeks before he heads into the trees again, beckoning the demoness to follow.

"I take it that you didn't get it then?" he asks, releasing a soft sigh when Kuroshi glares at him. "Told you they wouldn't let you near the grave."

"Because my uncle and father had to show up," the woman snaps, ignoring the knowing glance she gets from the younger demon. "If it had been just the monk I would have been fine, but it gets quite a bit more complicated when you throw in a demon slayer, pops, the girl of his that's in training, a half-demon, and that priestess of _his_. Even after I got Inuyasha and the woman with the Blade..."

"You stabbed them?" Atsui says, turning to stare in shock at the dark-haired woman. Kuroshi just blinks at him.

"Y..e..s.. What's the big deal? Mum and the brat healed them. Well, they were supposed to, assuming they got to that little village in time," she says, frowning at the horrified look the boy gives her. "What?"

Atsui rolls his blue-black eyes. "You weren't supposed to actually hurt them, Kuroshi. You know the Blade wasn't forged to take life, especially considering it's source."

"Great name for it then," the demoness mumbles, returning the boy's previous gesture when he glares at her. "It wasn't doing any good just hanging out at pop's place. It needed a little fresh air."

"And you panicked," Atsui returns, ignoring the fangs that are now aimed in his direction. "What else did you do that will ensure your uncle will come after you?"

Kuroshi frowns for a moment before a light blush crosses her cheeks, but still crosses her arms over her chest in defiance. "I...might have...destroyed the village; hit the miko; and...um, killed a few humans?" she says, growling at the exasperation that is now showing on Atsui's face.

"Well, you've just made sure that we won't get anywhere near the grave without a fight. Did you tell them what we were after, too?" the boy asks, running his claws through his short hair when the demonesses cheeks turn a brighter shade of red.

"I ...may have mentioned... the grave..."

"Kuroshi?"

"Yes?" the woman says, feeling as if she were the younger of the two, and was about to be reprimanded by the boy before her, though she was more than two decades his elder. Sometimes it didn't pay to be short-tempered and impatient. _Wonder if I get that from my uncle...?_

"Next time, let me do the talking. You never know what a little persuasion might accomplish," Atsui says, now giving the woman a smirk. "After all, it did work on the priestess_._"

* * *

Well? Why do I feel scatter-brained.....?


End file.
